About the Initiative

In April 2010, FedDev Ontario launched the Applied Research and Commercialization initiative, a pilot program designed to encourage greater collaboration between businesses and post-secondary institutions in southern Ontario. While FedDev Ontario is no longer accepting applications, the Agency has extended the initiative by making new funding of up to $15 million available to the existing 24 post-secondary institutions participating in the program, so they can partner with more businesses.

This initiative encourages the transformation and diversification of southern Ontario’s economy through strategic investments and partnerships between post-secondary institutions and Ontario businesses. It accomplishes this by addressing the unique research and innovation challenges faced by small- and medium-sized enterprises, defined as businesses with fewer than 1000 employees, including lack of internal research and development (R&D) and pre-commercialization capacity. The initiative allows post-secondary institutions to provide their expertise to businesses that lack the internal capacity to undertake the activities needed to bring innovative practices, processes, and products to market.

How does the initiative work?

When the pilot was launched, post-secondary institutions located in southern Ontario were invited to apply for up to $750,000 per institution to develop individual projects with local businesses. To date, 24 institutions have received contributions to undertake defined pre-commercialization activities in partnership with more than 300 small- and medium-sized businesses in southern Ontario.

Through this funding, students and research staff from participating institutions engage in activities such as applied research, engineering design, technology development, product testing, and certification that will help their business partners expand into promising new markets more quickly and cost effectively.