Who can apply?

Albertan small and medium-sized enterprises (1 to 499 employees and less than $50 million in gross revenues, Source: Industry Canada, Statistics Canada) are welcome to apply to the Alberta-Europe Technology Collaboration Fund. European partners can be small or medium-sized enterprises, as well as larger companies or independent research institutions. All proposals to the program must involve an industry partner from each jurisdiction (i.e. Alberta and Europe) with an interest in commercialization. Research organisations and university institutes are welcome to participate as additional project partners. European SMEs may apply for approximately matching funding in their respective jurisdictions. An overview of European funding opportunities can be found below.

*Please note that:
(a) The definition of SMEs in Europe may differ from Canada (i.e. UK, Luxembourg SME size is 1 to 249 employees).

(b) Collaboration projects with Cyprus must involve an industry and a research institution on both sides. While the GCCIR cannot support Albertan research organizations, these may be eligible for funding support through the Research Promotion Foundation in Cyprus.

Funding

At present the maximum project contribution by GCCIR is $250,000 CAD, which would be granted to the Albertan applicant and distributed in the form of reimbursements following the submission of pre-set milestone reports. The Albertan company is required to match GCCIR funding through a combination of cash and in-kind contributions to the project. Funding for the European partner may be applied for through one of the agencies below, or through other appropriate sources. Should the European company be too large to be eligible for funding, then the requirement for their participation in the project will be to match the funding contributed by GCCIR. All funding sources must be disclosed.

Project Requirements and Scoring Considerations

• Indicate clearly identified commercialization goals consistent with project objectives (how does the project address and provide economic benefits – qualitative and quantitative – for both Alberta and Europe)
• Demonstrate expertise (management, technical, and operational) in the field of the project and propose a strong joint team
• Indicate the respective human expertise contribution(s) to the project
• Leverage proven methodologies
• Include a risk assessment complete with mitigation strategies
• Provide realistic economic indicators (NPV, IRR suggested)
• Demonstrate financial capacity and commitment to contributing the company’s portion of the project funding
• Clearly demonstrate development of long-term innovation capacity
• Delineate the potential return on investment for all participants in the proposal
• Identify how intellectual property will be managed