CONII receives funding from Ontario's Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation to support industry-driven applied research and commercialization projects with Ontario-based business. The maximum contribution available is $30,000 per project.

CONII funding may be provided to reimburse for direct costs incurred by the college while carrying out your project. No money will flow directly to the company. Examples of eligible expenditures include researcher and technician support time, technical and scientific services, laboratory consumables and minor equipment, professional business development services, costs associated with obtaining patent protection, and travel and marketing expenses related to commercializing the intellectual property developed through the applied research project.

Your company will be expected to make a financial contribution to the project. This contribution may be in cash and/or in kind. The details of this contribution should be discussed with the college which you partner with.

Project Funding Review and Approval

CONII projects have 2 funding levels:

• Level 1 (CONII contribution of up to $10,000)
• Level 2 (CONII contribution between $10,001 and $30,000).

Each CONII-member college receives regular allocations of project funding which they may use to engage in applied research and commercialization projects with Ontario-based business. For Level 1 projects, colleges review and approve projects internally, using CONII guidelines. For Level 2 projects, review and approval is done by the CONII Project Allocation Committee (PAC).

If a college has spent their initial allocation of project funds, they may apply to PAC to access the "competitive fund". All project proposals submitted for funding from the competitive fund require PAC review, regardless of the funding level.
CONII's PAC is made up of both college and industry representation. PAC has the responsibility to review project proposals and ensure that they fit within the CONII mandate. PAC meets to review projects on a bi-monthly basis (7 review dates per year), and colleges are advised a project has been successful in securing funding within 1 week of the PAC meeting.

"As a small company involved in the development and marketing of Medical/Assistive Devices we highly value resources that help us compete in the market place against mostly non-Canadian competitors. The involvement of the College in applied research is a significant advantage for us."

 

Drew Gibney, President Dynamis Mobility