Suivez-nous
Science Impact, grants to bring startups and research together
Apply to the Science Impact program: 26 grants of $10,000 awarded to Quebec impact startups for projects in collaboration with the research community.
call for proposals, innovation, impact, startups, health, food, environment, science, research
16580
page-template,page-template-full_width,page-template-full_width-php,page,page-id-16580,page-child,parent-pageid-3179,bridge-core-2.3.2,ajax_updown_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode-title-hidden,side_menu_slide_from_right,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-21.8,qode-theme-bridge,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-8.1,vc_responsive

SCIENCE IMPACT PROGRAM

Accelerate the development of
your innovation through research

► Apply to receive one of the $10,000 grants allowing entrepreneurs to collaborate
with Quebec researchers!

In collaboration with     Logo Fonds de recherche du Québec

SCIENCE IMPACT PROGRAM

Accelerate the development of your innovation through research

► Apply to receive one of the $10,000 grants allowing entrepreneurs to collaborate
with Quebec researchers!

In collaboration with    Logo Fonds de recherche du Québec

Entrepreneurial project supported by a start-up incubator/accelerator*

Quebec-based team

ERRATUM! Startup registered after January 8, 2019 2020

$ 10,000 to initiate or pursue new collaborative projects with Quebec researchers

Esplanade Québec and the Fonds de recherche du Québec join forces to launch the 3rd edition of the Science Impact program, aimed at supporting entrepreneurial and scientific innovation in Quebec.

This grant program will allow 26 Quebec entrepreneurial teams, of all legal forms, to initiate or enhance new collaborative projects with Quebec researchers.

Interested in finding out more?

Attend our free information session (in French)!

*It is not mandatory to have been supported by Esplanade Québec. We accept projects with at least 10 hours of support from any startup incubator or accelerator.

The collaboration between impact entrepreneurship and research to multiply mutual benefits and innovate!

For entrepreneurs, it is…

  The opportunity to collaborate with experts in their impact sectors, who know their specificities and possibilities

  The benefit of access to cutting-edge knowledge and recent data on their fields of action

The prospect of increasing the efficiency of their impact enterprise

For the researchers, it is…

The benefit of carrying a research project through to deployment with users or beneficiaries of the organization with which they are collaborating

A fresh perspective on their research, thanks to interactions with the user community

 The opportunity to work on innovative projects that have concrete social and environmental impacts in our societies

The program is divided into 2 parts

Programme Science impact - Les bourses du volet 1 s'adressent aux startups qui ne sont pas familières avec la recherche, mais qui aimeraient s’y initier.

Part 1

Initiation to research

 

 

13 grants of $10,000 will be offered to startups that have never carried out concrete research projects.

 

The objective of this section of the call is to introduce a new audience of startups to the practice of collaboration with research.

Programme Science impact - Les bourses du volet 2 s'adressent aux startups startups déjà familières avec le milieu de la recherche et souhaitant entreprendre des projets de collaborations pour continuer à intégrer la recherche dans leur stratégie d’affaires.

Part 2

New research project

 

 

13 grants of $10,000 will be offered to startups that have already collaborated with researchers in the course of their activities, and that wish to undertake new collaborative projects.

 

The aim of this part is to encourage startups to collaborate with research.

Calendar

Call for applications

January 8 to March 2, 2025 (11:59 pm)

Information Session (in French)

Webinar: for an effective research project

Pre-selection

Week of April 7, 2025

Coaching session

Avril 16, 2025

Final jury and announcement of winners

Late April - early May 2025

Need more information?

Information session

A virtual information session (in French) will be held on Wednesday, January 22 at noon. Join us to ask any questions you may have about submitting your project.

Webinar: for an effective research project

On January 29, at noon online, join us to meet the Fonds de recherche du Québec and sharpen up your problematic with their help.

You can also book an appointment with Yolène Rosello,

project manager at Esplanade Québec, at [email protected].

Eligibility & General Information

What are the objectives of the program?

The program aims to encourage collaboration between the research community and startups with a social and environmental impact.

More specifically for startups, the program helps to:

to strengthen the capacity for innovation and increase the societal and environmental impact of startups in Québec through collaborative research

to increase social and environmental benefits in Quebec.

More specifically for the research ecosystem, the program helps to:

to make Quebec research expertise accessible and to promote the scientific approach in the entrepreneurial environment in Quebec

The program has two parts: an initiation part to introduce a new audience of startups to the practice of collaboration with the research community, and a strengthening part for experienced startups wishing to continue relying on research to innovate.

Part 1
Initiation to research

Exploring the potential of research to accelerate the development of your entrepreneurial impact project

Developing a research project for the first time to generate customized scientific knowledge for your startup

Part 2
New research project

Continuing one or more research initiatives that have already contributed to the development of the entrepreneurial project

Strengthening the contribution of research to the startup's business model

In both cases, projects must address a specific problem with tangible anticipated outcomes.

Who is eligible?

This program is for you if :

  You have an entrepreneurial project, whether you are incorporated as an NPO, cooperative or corporation (inc.)

  The main team of your startup, including the founder (or the persons carrying the project), is located in Quebec.

You are not yourself a researcher or a research professional affiliated with a Quebec research institution (Centre collégial de transfert de technologie, university, research center funded by the FRQ or the Quebec government, etc.). Research assistants and students are accepted if their project does not involve a research collaboration with their employer.

  ERRATUM! Your company was registered after January 8, 2019 2020.

   You are or have been accompanied by a business incubator or accelerator (minimum of 10 hours of support in a program with a selection process)

Is it mandatory to have been supported by Esplanade Québec to be eligible?

No, it is not mandatory to have been supported by Esplanade Québec.

 

To be eligible for the Science Impact program, you only need to have been supported by a startup incubator or accelerator for at least 10 hours in a program with a selection process.

What is the selection process?

The selection process is divided into 2 phases:

  Pre-selection phase: a first selection will be made upon receipt of application files. The applications will be analyzed by an independent jury from the entrepreneurship and research community, according to the eligibility and the selection criteria.

Pitch selection phase: the pre-selected projects (25 per stream) will be invited to present their pitch before an independent jury made up of researchers and specialists from different sectors related to the call for applications. Following these pitches, the jury will meet to select the 26 winners of the two streams.

To prepare your application, we encourage you to attend the information session on January 22, 2025 and the webinar on January 29, 2025: Recipe for an effective research project (in particular for component 1).

What are the selection criteria?

Please note that the program is aimed at entrepreneurial impact projects that provide an innovative, efficient, and realistic solution to a social or environmental problem, and that are willing to collaborate with research. Applicants must demonstrate this in their application.

 

Common criteria for both parts
  1. Quality, feasibility and scope of the research project (20%)

  Clarity, relevance and scope* of the objectives in relation to the identified research needs

Anticipated team composition and roles (business and research)

 Feasibility

*The objectives go beyond market research or impact analysis of an entrepreneurial solution.

2. Collaboration strategy / Potential for integration of the research approach (15%)

Development and follow-up plan for the project with the research partner

Integration plan of the research project into the startup’s activities, including dedicated resources (time, personnel, expertise, equipment, etc.)

  1. Scope of anticipated outcomes (30%)

 Related to the problematics and the development of the entrepreneurial project

 Stimulating effect on research in Quebec

Benefits for user communities and for Quebec (outcomes can be scientific, social, economic, technological, environmental, etc.)

Criteria specific to Part 1: Initiation to research

 

Candidate’s research initiation potential (35%)

Motivation, experience and transferable expertise in a collaborative scientific project

Level of familiarity with research

Criteria specific to Part 2: Strengthening research

 

Demonstration of the startup’s potential to consolidate innovation through research (35%)

Experience in developing research projects

Demonstration of the project’s complementarity with previous research initiatives

Potential for long-term innovation through research within the company

What are the eligible expenses?

In keeping with the objectives of the program, the $10,000 grant must be used to fund expenses directly related to the conduct of the proposed research project. All of the funds allocated must therefore go to the research center or organization with which you are partnering. Eligible expenses are as follows

Salaries and benefits of research personnel directly involved in the project, in accordance with the rates in effect at the managing institution or organization, where applicable.

 Scholarships, supplements and salary support for students (CEGEP or university) and post-doctoral fellows

 Costs related to the purchase of or access to data banks

 Costs related to the use of equipment or premises necessary for the realization of the research project (up to a maximum of 15% of the value of the grant)

We already have an internal researcher, can this person manage the research project?

No. To be eligible for the Science Impact program, which aims to create and/or solidify collaborations with the public research community, your project must be carried out by external researchers affiliated with research institutions recognized by the FRQ, with whom you will sign a collaboration agreement.

What is the timeframe for the research project?

Your project must begin after the grant has been approved, i.e. in May 2025. From that time onward, you have a maximum of one year to sign a research agreement with your collaborators, and then one year to complete the project (adjustments may be made to the schedule depending on the case).

I already have funding for my research project, can I apply?

Yes, you can apply if the Science Impact grant is intended to integrate an additional component, complementary to the existing research project. The implementation of this component must not have begun before the grant is awarded for you to be eligible.

I've already received a Science Impact grant. Is it possible to apply for one again?

Yes, if you are applying for a different project or for another stage of your current project, provided that it is distinct from the stage for which you have already received a grant.

What is the follow-up process?

75% of the grant will be paid on receipt of the agreement, and 25% on submission of the report form.

Project follow-up for the 26 startups selected will be handled by Esplanade Québec, which you can contact if you have any questions. After completion of the project, startups will also be required to fill out a short reporting form.

What are the dates to remember?

Call for applications: January 8 to March 2, 2025

Information session: (held in French) January 22nd, 2025

Webinar: for an effective research project: (held in French) January 29, 2025

Announcement of pre-selected startups: Week of April 7, 2025

Coaching session: Avril 16, 2025

Selection pitches: Late April – early May 2025

Announcement of winning startups: Late April – early May 2025

Awarding event: Early June 2025

 

The January 29 webinar is aimed primarily at the startups that apply to Part 1 of the program. It is designed to inform applicants about best practices in developing a research question. It is optional.

 

The coaching session will take the form of a virtual meeting during which the pre-selected startups can receive advice on preparing their pitch for the final selection. This meeting will be optional.

Convinced?

Don’t forget to submit your application to this program by March 2nd, 2025!
Coaching d'entreprise