A new funding competition sponsored by the UK and Canadian governments (established through the EUREKA framework) provides an excellent grant opportunity for Canadian SMEs. Organized by the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), submissions must be innovative, involve a technological risk and target large global markets. Registration opens Monday, February 11, 2019 and closes on Thursday May 2, 2019. See here for additional information regarding the competition.
For SMEs, especially early-stage companies – companies which are typically short of working capital for growth and often overlooked by traditional funding sources – hidden funding opportunities can often be found in competitions. In addition to the prize money, which in some cases are substantial (C$300K in this case), such competitions are also a good way to improve the visibility and investor/partner interest in a company.
There are plenty of similar competitions sponsored by governments, NGOs, and private companies which are currently accepting applications. In addition to this UK/Canada example you could reference the annual Fundica Roadshow or the upcoming the SCI Shenzen Competition. Learning about what is on offer is not always easy but checking out CGE’s Calendar of Events and Trending sections is an excellent place to start.