Canada-Japan Corporate Co-innovation Program

The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) has identified Japan as a priority market to assist Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in co-innovation partnerships to access Japanese global value chains. In Japan, much of the innovation activity and budget resides with its large corporations. As a result, NRC IRAP has developed a program to support Canadian SMEs to engage in a collaborative research and development (R&D) project with Japanese multinational corporations.

Successful applicants that can develop a co-innovative proof of concept project with Japanese partners may be eligible to receive NRC IRAP funding support to execute the project.

Sectors of Focus

Although this call invites proposals related to any technological or market area, priority is being given to the following sectors:

• Digital industries
• Clean technologies
• Advanced manufacturing
• Natural resources and energy
• Health and life sciences
• Agriculture and food
• Transportation

Funding

• Eligible Canadian SMEs may receive up to 50% reimbursement of eligible project costs up to a maximum total funding amount of $75,000 CAD over 6 to 8 months. All selected projects must start after July 15, 2024.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to participate in this initiative, applicants must form a proof-of-concept collaborative research and development (R&D) project that meets the following criteria:

• Consortium
  • The project consortium must include at least:
    • 1 eligible Canadian SME, and
    • 1 Japanese corporate partner
  • The parties listed above must be unrelated parties (i.e. no direct, indirect, beneficial or constructive ownership interest between these parties)
  • The project partners that form the consortium must agree on a plan addressing intellectual property (IP) rights and intent to commercialize
• The Canadian SME applicant must:
  • be an incorporated, profit oriented small or medium-sized business in Canada
  • have 500 or fewer full time equivalent employees
  • pursue growth and profit by developing and commercializing innovative, technology driven new or improved products, services or processes in Canada
  • have a differentiated and protectable technology with commercial potential in global markets
  • have sufficient working capital (e.g. revenue, investment, etc.) and resources to undertake a multi-year R&D collaboration and commercialize the results
  • be committed to significant growth through international market expansion
• Preference may be given to SME applicants who:
  • have a minimum of 10 full-time equivalent employees
  • have commercialized 1 or more products domestically or internationally
  • have greater than $500,000 CAD in annual revenue
• The Japanese corporate partner will participate in this collaborative project on a self-funded basis. The ideal Japanese corporate partner must:
  • have a broad international network and is recognized as a leader in the target sector
  • have critical pain points or attractive market opportunities
  • have a goal of commercializing or adopting new technologies resulting from the project
  • provide in-kind contributions or additional financial resources
  • must agree on a plan addressing intellectual property (IP) rights and intent to commercialize (including having a Non-Disclosure Agreement in place)
  • have a defined structure to engage with Canadian SMEs
  • have the support from senior management and operational business units (demonstrated via a Letter of Intent)
  • have a focus on collaboration or open innovation (the intent of the project is not company acquisition or technology procurement)

For more information, visit Government of Canada.