Am I eligible?

Your organization or enterprise may qualify for the Business and Regional Growth program if it meets one of the following criteria:

• is a small or medium-sized enterprise;
• is an SME group and association;
• is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is business support or economic development;
• is an organization or institution dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of knowledge and know-how, including universities and teaching institutions.

How can I submit my project proposal?

To submit a project proposal, you must contact an advisor at the Business Office serving your region. Once your project has been deemed eligible, the advisor assigned to your file will send you a form.

See further instructions on how to submit a financial assistance application.

Is my project eligible?

To qualify for funding, your project must further the priorities of the business office accepting your application.

Projects are analyzed and funding levels determined on the basis of a range of criteria, including:

• the project’s contribution to attaining the program’s goals and intended outcomes;
• conformity with Agency priorities;
• incentive nature of the assistance and demonstrated financial need for implementation of the project, taking other existing funding sources into account;
• demonstrable evidence that the project meets a recognized need and significantly contributes to a region’s economic development;
• promoter’s management capacity;
• viability of the enterprise or organization;
• level of risk involved;
• impact on competition;
• availability of Agency funds.

To be eligible, your project must also fall under one of the following components:

Component 1- SME Competitiveness

This component aims to foster the competitiveness of SMEs by increasing their capacity to innovate, adopt leading-edge technologies and develop markets. It seeks the following outcomes:

• enterprises are increasing their productivity through the adoption of technologies and new processes or the acquisition of new equipment;
• enterprises have increased capacity and greater market development opportunities to increase their sales outside Quebec;
• enterprises are innovating, increasing their R&D activity and development of new products and processes, and commercializing them;
• innovative enterprises are being established;
• enterprises are becoming more competitive as a result of the services delivered by support organizations (for instance, in innovation, market development and value chain management).

Component 2- Sectoral and Regional Growth

This component aims to foster sectoral and regional growth through development and consolidation of recognized competitiveness poles in Quebec and Canada and through attraction of foreign investment and international organizations. It seeks the following outcomes:

• enterprises and other organizations in the same sector or region are networked and implementing a common development plan;
• through their participation in networks or clusters, enterprises are integrated into sectoral or regional supply chains and improving their performance;
• applied research conducted with enterprises is intensified and its outputs are being transferred to them;
• technology services and transfers are meeting enterprises’ needs;
• plans are being drawn up and implemented to enhance locational factors, in conjunction with partners from Quebec and Canada, with a view to attracting direct foreign investment and international organizations.

What funding is offered?

Financial assistance awarded under this program is provided in the form of contributions and grants and must comply with the provisions of the Treasury Board's Policy on Transfer Payments.

Eligible costs

Eligible costs include all expenses directly related to the project and deemed reasonable and necessary for its execution.

Agency priorities, policy and guidelines are taken into account in the analysis of costs.