Ontario Centers of Innovation (OCI) – Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) – R&D Partnership Fund: Connection and Autonomous Vehicle (C/AV) & Smart Mobility

Description:

The R&D Partnership Fund – C/AV and Smart Mobility stream supports projects related to the development, testing, validating and demonstration of connected and autonomous vehicle (C/AV) and smart mobility technologies in the following priority areas:


  1. mass light vehicles, such as cars, trucks and vans;

  2. heavy duty vehicles, including commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, recreational vehicles (RVs), and others used for goods movement;

  3. transportation infrastructure;

  4. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS);

  5. transit-supportive systems and vehicles.

Comments on Funding:

Funding is up to one-third of eligible project costs, to a maximum of $1,000,000, with the remainder contributed by Applicants and/or Partners.

Applicant and/or Partners must provide minimum two-thirds of total eligible project costs (i.e., minimum 2:1 match to OVIN contribution). Contribution match MUST be in the form of private sector contributions, and be unencumbered from other government grant sources.

This is a reimbursement program. Reimbursements are triggered by the submission and approval of quarterly reports.

Eligibility:

The applicant must:

  • be an Ontario-based SME with fewer than 500 full-time employees;
  • have operations (R&D, manufacturing, product management, etc.) in Ontario; 
  • be the direct recipient of project funding from OCI for the project. The Applicant may be an Applicant on only one R&D Partnership Fund (C/AV, WinterTech, or EV) project at a time.
  • obtain OCI approval before a new application for funding is initiated, if they have received over $500,000 of funding from OCI administered programs in their lifetime (excluding TalentEdge).
  • be a co-signatory to the Funding Agreement.

Eligible partners:

  • For-profit Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);
  • For-profit National and multinational enterprises (NEs and MNEs);
  • Publicly funded post-secondary institutions (secondary);
  • Municipalities;
  • Indigenous communities;
  • Not-for-profit organizations.
  • Required to have operations and carry out projects in Ontario.

Project eligibility criteria:

  • Eligible projects require a minimum of two partners. Generally, a SME – the Applicant – works with a Primary Partner (other than an Post-Secondary Institution).  Additional partners - Secondary Partners – can be any eligible organization and part of the team for strategic and commercial reasons. There is no limit on the number of partners.
  • Projects can be up to 24 months in duration.
  • Projects should be at Technology Readiness Level 3-9.
  • Typical project activities include technology development, demonstration, product/service validation, testing, certification, piloting.
  • Applicant and Partners should demonstrate close collaboration and scalable outcomes with high potential for commercialization, strong commercial pull, competitive advantage, and alignment with intended program benefits.
  • Eligible projects MUST include demonstration of actual products that can be showcased in Ontario at events, on the road, and/or at customer sites.

Applications Steps:

To begin the EOI submission process, please complete a client intake form. An OCI Business Development Manager (BD) will contact applicants to discuss the opportunity and assist them with developing their EOI.

Documentation Needed:

Applicants must submit a signed Letter of Support (LOS) from contributing Partner organizations, confirming financial commitment to the project, activities, duration, resources as a “Project Contributor/Partner”, and acknowledgement of the requirement to sign the standard OCI funding agreement.

Other Things to Note:

certifiacte-icon

Guaranteed Government Grants

Get a FREE 45-page guide with proven steps to business grants success:

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

    1. The Expression of Interest submission deadline was on November 16, 2022. Check their website for the next application intakes.
    2. Applications to the R&D Partnership Fund – C/AV & Mobility – Stream 2 are accepted during open funding rounds. This is a reimbursement program. Reimbursements are triggered by the submission and approval of quarterly reports.

    Similar Posts

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *