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NSERC I2I GRANTS

Sponsor/Agency: NSERC

Program: Idea to Innovation (I2I) grants

Description:

I2I grants are intended to accelerate the pre-competitive development of promising technology originating from the university and college sector, and to promote its transfer to a new or established Canadian company. I2I grants provide funding to college and university faculty members to support research and development projects with recognized technology transfer potential. This is achieved through defined phases by providing crucial assistance in the early stages of technology validation and market connection.

There are four distinct funding options, characterized by the maturity of the technology and the sponsorship of an early-stage investment entity or industrial partner. In the market assessment phase, NSERC will share costs of an independent and professional market study with Ontario Tech. In phase I, the direct costs of research will be entirely supported by NSERC; in phase II, they will be shared with an early-stage investment entity (phase IIa) or a company (phase IIb). The technology development may begin with a phase I project (reduction-to-practice stage), followed by a phase II project (technology enhancement); or, if the development is at a later stage, it can start directly with a phase II project. In any case, the combination of phase I and phase II will be limited to a maximum of three years of funding for any given project, and to one grant per phase for the same technology or intellectual property (IP).

Discoveries must be disclosed by the investigators according to Ontario Tech policy, and the IP must be managed by ORS. All proposals will be developed in close collaboration with the ORS IP Officer. To comply with I2I program requirements, which include matching cash contributions, IP protection, market promotion, etc., IP rights should be assigned to Ontario Tech.

Deadlines:

  • NSERC: March 31, 2025
    • IP Officer review: February 21, 2025
    • Administrative check (upload to NSERC portal): February 28, 2025
  • NSERC: June 20, 2025
    • IP Officer review: May 23, 2025
    • Administrative check (upload to NSERC portal): TBD
  • NSERC: September 22, 2025
    • IP Officer review: August 25, 2023
    • Administrative check (upload to NSERC portal): TBD

Important: Applications must be submitted to the IP officer one month prior to the NSERC deadline, otherwise the applications will be considered for next NSERC deadline.

Value:

Market assessment: NSERC $15,000 (75% of project costs) + Ontario Tech $5,000 for Technology Transfer Activities 

Phase I*: NSERC $125,000 (100% of project costs)

  • Phase Ib Supplement*: NSERC $60,000 (100% of project costs)

Phase IIa*: NSERC $125,000 (67% of project costs) + Partner $62,500 (33% of project costs)

Phase IIb*: NSERC $350,000 (50% of project costs) + Partner 50% of direct costs through in-kind and cash.

  • 40% of the Partner contribution must be cash.

*Note for technology transfer activities: Half the cost supported by NSERC up to a maximum of 10% of the award.  Institution or partner must cover the other half. (e.g. Phase I - $125,000: NSERC will support a maximum of $12,500 for tech transfer activities and Institution/partner must provide: $12,500).

Duration:

Market assessment: up to one year
Phase I: up to one year

  • Phase Ib Supplement: 6 months

Phase IIa: from 6 to 18 months
Phase IIb: up to two years

How to apply:

  1. Notify the IP Officer as soon as possible if you are interested in applying.
  2. Review the program guidelines (see below), including the eligibility and evaluation criteria.
  3. Submit a completed and signed Invention Disclosure Form to the IP Officer. The IP Officer will assess which I2I phase is appropriate, and follow up with you regarding the IP assignment.
  4. Obtain letters of support that demonstrate market need (market assessment and phase I) and interest from a potential (market assessment and phase I) or actual (phase II) sponsor.
  5. Complete NSERC Forms 100 and 101. Phase II applications will also require Form 183A. See detailed instructions here.
  6. Submit completed NSERC forms with any supplementary documents to the IP Officer for review one month prior to the desired NSERC cohort deadline.

Submit completed NSERC forms through the NSERC online system with any supplementary documents (e.g., letters of support, offers of service, signed research agreements, CVs of business mentors) at least one week prior to the NSERC deadline

Eligibility:

Eligible activities

Eligible research and development activities include:

  • refining and implementing designs
  • verifying application
  • conducting field studies
  • preparing demonstrations
  • building prototypes
  • performing beta trials

Eligible technology transfer activities include:

  • consulting fees to develop the strategy to protect the technology’s commercial value
  • market investigations
  • consulting fees for business plan, market survey, etc.
  • business mentoring by experienced entrepreneurs
  • sharing of patenting expenses
  • expenses associated with creating a partnership (such as travel, etc.)

ORS must agree that these expenses for technology transfer activities are justified, and commit to covering at least half of their cost.  Note that for Phase I, Phase Ib, Phase IIa and Phase IIb applications, NSERC may provide technology transfer support up to a maximum of 10% of the total requested amount (i.e., the NSERC contribution will be no more than $12,500 for a $125,000 requested budget). Staff activities are not considered an eligible expense and cannot be used to leverage NSERC funds. Technology transfer expenses related to the proposed technology and incurred previously will not be considered in the cost-sharing of proposed activities.

Phase eligibility

Market assessment phase: Market assessment projects are designed to enable institutions to conduct a market study for a product, process or technology they plan to develop. The market assessment should precede a phase I proposal if the applicant has not yet developed an understanding of the potential market. It is to be conducted by an experienced professional such as an outside consulting firm. An offer of service from the consultant listing the scope, deliverables and other relevant elements is required.

Phase I: Phase I reduction-to-practice projects are designed to advance promising technologies in order to attract early-stage investment and/or to build valuable intellectual property (e.g., strengthening the commercial value of the technology, broadening patent claims or strengthening licensing opportunities) in anticipation of transferring the technology to a new or established company. Phase I proposals must be based on strong scientific evidence and present the following elements:

  • The technology must be sufficiently mature. One of the main reasons why phase I proposals are rejected is that the technology is at too early a stage to be eligible for the I2I grants. The basic parameters of the concept must have already been explored, and sufficient testing should have been done to assess the potential of the innovation to work in a “product” environment or for its intended purpose. This represents at least technology readiness level (TRL) 4.
  • There must be a clearly identified and well-described potential market. A market assessment should have been performed and a technology transfer plan consistent with it developed. Meaningful letters of support from potential receptors, end-users/clients and industrial value-chain players may be very useful.
  • Involvement of experienced business mentors is recommended when the team is planning to spin off a new company.

Note: NSERC offers an I2I phase Ib supplement. This funding of up to $60,000 for six months can be made available for successfully completed phase I projects with high promise to secure an investor or a licensing company.

Phase II: Phase II projects are designed to provide scientific or engineering evidence that establishes the technical feasibility and market definition of the technology, process or product. The science must be substantiated to the point that its end product is easily identifiable, and for phase IIb a prototype or equivalent (TRL 6) must be in existence. Phase II projects require an early-stage investment entity (phase IIa) or a company (phase IIb) to share the costs of the project. The sponsor is expected to participate actively in planning the project. See below for sponsor eligibility requirements, and refer to the NSERC page for further cost-sharing and other requirements for phases IIa and IIb.

Eligible sponsors for Phase II

For Phase II, NSERC will evaluate the eligibility of sponsors before accepting proposals for review. The following organizations may be considered as eligible partners:

Early-stage investment group: This term refers to either venture capital, a seed capital funding entity, angel investors, university technology transfer corporations, incubators, or other similar funding or technology transfer organizations. Organizations that have received public funds as seed funding, but are functioning in a competitive environment and are required to achieve self-sufficiency within a pre-determined time period, may be considered as equivalent to industry.

Companies: Normally, participating companies must be Canadian. Companies outside Canada may also be considered as partners provided they can demonstrate that there will be clear and direct benefits to the Canadian economy as a result of their participation. As partners, companies must demonstrate that they have, or have the potential to acquire, the capability to commercialize the technology under development.

Researcher-owned companies: Situations in which the researcher is a part owner are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and the company’s stage of development will be taken into consideration in determining eligibility. The commercial activity must conform to the institution’s established policies relating to the disclosure of commercial interest and conflict of interest.

Additional Information:

Tech transfer and IP strategy

All proposals must include a technology transfer plan, appropriate to the maturity of the technology, that describes how the work will proceed through the next stages in the validation process up to eventual market entry. The ORS will work with the applicant(s) in evaluating and protecting the new technology, service or process; developing proposals; preparing a technology transfer approach; making business contacts; and negotiating licensing or other such arrangements with potential partners.

 For all phases except the market assessment, the projects must describe the IP strategy to protect the commercial value of the technology and relate it to the technology transfer plan. Projects should demonstrate how the IP strategy and execution will contribute to the technology transfer or future business the technology may support.

Evaluation criteria

Phase I and phase II applications will be evaluated against the following criteria. A subset of the selection criteria, plus additional ones specifically related to market assessment, will be used to review the market assessment applications.

  • Scientific/technical merit
    • Scientific basis for the expected commercial application
    • Clarity and focus of research objectives
    • Novelty, technical complexity, technical risk and feasibility
    • Appropriateness of work plan, milestones, deliverables and decision points
  • Team expertise and project management
    • Breadth and depth of team expertise in the proposed fields of activity
    • Business experience or available support
    • Adequacy of personnel and material resources allocated for research and technology transfer activities
    • Quality of project management
  • Potential for technology transfer and commercial benefits
    • Commitment of the institution through its technology transfer office (or equivalent)
    • Appropriateness of the technology management and transfer plan
    • Anticipated benefits for a Canadian company
    • Justification of the benefits of NSERC financing
  • Market assessment
    • Signs of market interest
    • Relevant essential questions have been incorporated into the market analysis
    • Appropriateness of the consultant and statement of work
    • Suitability of the proposed primary research

For more information:

Please contact (Yiming) Peter Shao - IP Officer, ORS.