INNOV-R RESEARCH PROGRAM 2018-2019

Applicants’ guide

AU

GU

ST

20

18

IMPORTANT DATES

CALLTARGETED

INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY

LETTER OF INTENT FILED

DETAILED APPLICATION

FILED

APPROVAL BY THE BOARD

OF DIRECTORSCONTACT

38thINNOV-R Reduction of greenhouse gas

emissionsJuly 13, 2018 September 21, 2018 October 26, 2018

Mrs. Cristina Marquescristina.marques@cribiq.qc.ca418 914-1608, extension 208

The specific terms of financing (page 9) of the INNOV-R program, of which CRIBIQ is the trustee, are derived from the normative framework established by the Quebec government for the 2018–2021 mandate.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

4 CRIBIQ

5 From biomass to bio-sourced products

6 Goals of the INNOV-R research program

7 Fields of research

8 Project delivery process

9 Terms of funding

10 Forms contents

11 Admissible expenditures and project duration

12 Project selection criteria

13 Frequently asked questions

14 Programme INNOV-R

15 The CRIBIQ team

© 2018 CRIBIQ - Any reproduction of this document in whole or in part without the express consent of the author is prohibited.

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CRIBIQ

The Quebec industrial bioprocess research and innovation consortium (CRIBIQ) is a sector-focused industrial research community whose mission is to promote and finance the development of novel high-performance bioprocesses In Quebec by facilitating collaboration between industrial partners and Quebec public research institutions (QPRI).

As of March 31, 2018, CRIBIQ membership included 188 businesses and QPRI (universities, collegiate technology transfer centres and government-operated research centres). The CRIBIQ research program has provided a significant boost to R&D activity through financing of more than 148 collaborative research projects representing investments of over $93 million, of which $28 million was granted by CRIBIQ. In addition, thanks to the participation of member industrial federations and associations, CRIBIQ services now reach more than 15,000 private-sector organizations.

188 members

140 industrial

33 QPRI15 other

The present guide describes the terms of project funding within the framework of the 2018-2019 INNOV-R RESEARCH PROGRAM of which CRIBIQ is a trustee. This program is made possible thanks to the Green Fund of the Ministry of sustainable development, the environment and response to climate change.

Total value of projects:

+ $ 93 M

+ $ 28 M in financing

projects approved

+ 192projects

supported

+ 148 projects

completed

+ 60

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From biomass to bio-sourced products

Via its research program, CRIBIQ’s initiative fits into a chain of transformations of various bio-resources into value-added products intended for industrial networks of major importance to the Quebec bio-economy. For such transformations to become commercial successes, Quebec centres of expertise must collaborate on innovative research projects that apply cutting-edge technologies to the processing and upgrading of bio-resources.

BIO-RESSOURCES

TECHNOLOGIES

PRODUCT/PROCESS/ INDUSTRIAL SERVICE

§ Forestry § Agricultural

§ Agri-Food § Aquatic

§Microbial §Municipal Residues

§ Biomolecule production, purification and characterization § Bioreactor and fermentation engineering § Bio-catalysis and bioconversion § Physico-chemical processing of biomass § Bio-filtration § Genomics

§Metabolic engineering § Directed evolution § Process intensification § Bio-informatics § Electrochemistry § Others

AGRI-FOOD BIOPRODUCTS ENVIRONMENT

§ Agricultural production § Food-processing § Health foods § Functional bio-ingredients

§ Bioremediation § Effluent treatment § Residue upgrading § Bio-capture and bio-sequestration § Capture, sequestration and utilization of CO2 § Conversion of industrial or thermal processes

§ Bio-energy: liquid, solid or gaseous biofuel § Bio-based chemicals § Bio-based materials

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Goals of the INNOV-R research program

The 2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan (2013-2020 CCAP), is Quebec’s main tool for fighting climate change1. One of the measures set forth in this action plan is support for collaborative industrial research into means of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG).

The aim of the INNOV-R, research program, of which CRIBIQ is a trustee, is to co-finance collaborative and innovative R&D involving businesses and QPRI having a mutual interest in reducing GHG emissions.

The partnering businesses and the participating QPRI are expected to work in close collaboration in order to agree on the technological challenges facing them. The goal of this collaborative research is to develop a win-win relationship by combining knowledge, know-how, resources, raw materials, logistical means and techno-economic aspects in order to generate new technologies, processes, products or services. The term ‘economic benefits’ refers to any wealth generated through commercialization or implementation of the results of the research project.

The specific goals targeted by this collaborative research support program are to: § PROMOTE the emergence of innovative technologies that will allow Quebec to

advance more quickly towards its GHG emission reduction targets; § FAVOUR the dissemination of new knowledge in the subject area of GHG emission

reduction; § RALLY QPRI around collaborative innovation projects aimed at discovering better

means of reducing GHG emissions; § DYNAMIZE interactions between public and industrial research communities and

end-users of the technologies and practices developed through research; § IMPROVE the competitiveness of the participating businesses; § SHARE of the direct economic risks and benefits among the businesses; § VALUE the cutting-edge facilities available at the QPRI; § CONTRIBUTE to training of highly qualified personnel; § STIMULATE investment in innovation focused on GHG emission reduction.

Collaborative research: a mandatory criterion!

1 Please consult the website page PACC-GES at: http://www.mddelcc.gouv.qc.ca/changementsclimatiques/plan-action-fonds-vert.asp

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Fields of research2

BIO-FOODAgricultural production

§ Livestock reproduction and nutrition; § Crop improvement; § Conditioning and pre-treatment of biomasses; § Development of bio-fertilizers, bio-stimulants and bio-pesticides.

Food processing § Development of new methods of food processing and preservation; § Optimisation of new products; § Food safety; § Identification and characterisation of food allergens; § Optimising food flavour, colour, taste and texture; § Upgrading of co-products or by-products.

Health foods and functional bio-ingredients § Development or optimisation of processed foods with improved health benefits; § Production, conversion, characterization of microorganisms or functional biomolecules; § Separation, extraction, purification and production of bio-ingredients; § Formulation.

INDUSTRIAL BIOPRODUCTSBiofuels

§ Storage, handling and pre-treatment of biomasses; § Production, thermal or biological conversions, characterization, performance evaluation; § Bio-refining of agricultural and forestry biomasses.

Chemicals and bio-sourced materials § Production, thermal or biological conversion, characterization, performance evaluation; § Bio-refining of agricultural and forestry biomasses; § Storage, handling and pre-treatment of biomasses; § Formulation and integration of renewable materials; § Separation, extraction and purification.

ENVIRONMENTBioremediation

§ Waste water and sewage treatment; § Bio-restoration of contaminated sites.

Bio-capture and bio-sequestration § Development of genomics or proteomics analytical tools; § Bio-filtration; § Bio-sequestration of contaminants.

Residue management § Processing and upgrading of residues.

Greenhouse gases § Capture, sequestration and utilization of CO2; § Strategies of GHG emission avoidance or reduction.

2 Projects submitted to the INNOV-R program must be relevant to at least one of these fields of research.

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Project delivery process

Projects submitted to the INNOV-R program will be evaluated in two stages, first by the techno-economic analysis committee (TEAC) and then in terms of GHG reduction potential by the GHG analysis committee (GHGAC).

The TEAC is drawn from the board of directors following each call for projects in order to bring together independent recognized experts in the relevant scientific and technological fields as well as in industrial research, regulatory standards, project management and R&D.

The GHGAC includes the TEAC chairman and independent recognized experts in industrial research and regulatory standards as well as technology transfer and commercialization in fields relating to greenhouse gases.

These committees are mandated in particular: § To carry out scientific, technological and economic evaluations; § To evaluate the potential for GHG emissions reduction in Quebec; § To select the most promising projects; § To recommend or not the funding of the projects to the board of directors

and to the Ministry (MESI).

Who may file a letter of intent? The principal applicant named in a letter of intent may be a business (with CRIBIQ membership or not) or a QPRI participating in the project.

Who may file a detailed application?The principal applicant named in the detailed application must be affiliated with a QPRI participating in the project.

Letter of intent (LOI)

Detailed application

(DD)

Analysis and oral presentation

(CAGES)

Approval by the TEAC

Letter of granting from

CRIBIQ

Analysis and response to LOI

(CRIBIQ)

Analysis and oral presentation

(TEAC)

Recommendation from TEAC and

GHGAC

Authorisation from the ministry3

Research agreement (partners)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

3 Financing of projects depends on grants obtained by CRIBIQ through the Green Fund (MDDELCC). Recommendation by the CRIBIQ board of directors to finance a project does not guarantee granting of funds. In addition, the granting of Green Fund support may be prioritized on the basis of project ranking as determined by the TEAC and GHGAC.

Funding and start of project

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Terms of funding

INITIAL TECHNOLOGICAL READINESS LEVEL (TRL) of the project4.

Only projects at an initial TRL of 1 to 6 are admissible for CRIBIQ funding.

TRL 1 to 3 TRL 4 to 6 TRL 7 to 9

Laboratory-scale proof of concept

Validation and demonstration under simulated operational

conditions (i.e. pilot or pre-commercial scale)

Prototype and demonstration in operational environment

Projects at an initial TRL of 1–3 (Proof of concept stage)

CRIBIQ (INNOV-R) support covering up to 50% of admissible expenditures, increased by 10% if a second industrial sector group is involved

See the admissible expenditures and project duration section (p.11)

Contribution by ONE business equal to at least 20% of admissible expenditures (up to 50% of which may be in kind)

Total public contribution covering up to 80% of admissible expenditures

Involvement of at least ONE business that conducts production and/or R&D activities in Quebec

Businesses outside of Quebec and other organizations such as NPOs, Crown corporations, public entities, municipalities or others are admissible as a second partner.

Obligatory participation of a university or CTTC or any other research centre recognized by the Ministry of the economy, science and innovation.

Projects at an initial TRL of 4-6 (Simulated operational stage)

CRIBIQ (INNOV-R) support covering up to 50% of admissible expenditures See the admissible expenditures and project duration section (p.11)

Contribution from industry of at least 25% in cash for admissible expenditures

Contribution from industry of at least 25% in kind for admissible expenditures

Involvement of at least ONE business that conducts production and/or R&D activities in Quebec

Businesses outside of Quebec and other organizations such as NPOs, Crown corporations, public entities, municipalities or others are admissible as a second partner.

Obligatory participation of a university or CTTC or any other research centre recognized by the Ministry of the economy, science and innovation

4 ISO standard 16290:2013 Space systems – Definition of the technological readiness levels (TRLs) and their criteria of assessment. Consult also https://ito.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ito-oti.nsf/fra/00849.html

5 This amount is subject to revision as a function of the budget allotted by the Green Fund.

Funding by the CRIBIQ INNOV-R program shall not exceed $500 000 for the entire duration of the project (a maximum of 3 years)5

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Forms contents

LETTER OF INTENT (LOI) FORM § Identification of the principal applicant and the co-applicants § Description of the proposed GHG emissions reduction project § Demonstration of the fit of the project with CRIBIQ fields of research § Description of the collaborative aspect of the project § Assessment of the initial technological readiness level § General description of the project funding structure (Excel file included in the form)

The letter of intent form may be downloaded from our website.

The detailed application form and the INNOV-R form will be sent to applicants whose letter of intent has been accepted6

DETAILED APPLICATION (DA) AND INNOV-R FORMS § Identification of the principal applicant and the co-applicants § Summary of project for press releases § Context in which the project arose § Statement of project goals and objectives § Specification of the product and/or process and/or technology to be developed § Prior work and current state of advancement of the project § Novel aspects of the product and/or process and/or technology to be developed § Diagram of the various steps or stages of the project § Process and/or product manufacturing scale-up potential § Assessment of the initial technological readiness level of the project § Potential economic benefits of the project (description of the targeted market(s), potential

customers, integration of the technology (product and/or process) into the operations of the industrial partners, direct benefits for Quebec)

§ Schedule of activities and quantification of deliverables § Skills, expertise and facilities required in order to carry out the project § GHG emission reduction potential attributable to the project (INNOV-R form) § Risks associated with deployment of the GHG emissions reduction technology (INNOV-R

form) § Approach to coordination of all partners involved (in academia and industry) in the project

management, for example, name of the person in charge of managing and coordinating the tasks, modes of exchange of information, knowledge and expertise between the partners, frequency of follow-up committee meetings, terms of knowledge transfer at the end of the project, and so on…

6 If you have not filed a letter of intent, please communicate with one of our advisors in order to validate the admissibility of your project and to obtain the forms required for filing the detailed application.

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Admissible expenditures and project duration

§ Salaries and benefits, except those of university researchers currently supported by their academic institution or by a governmental granting organization

§ Scholarships for graduate students or post-doctoral fellows

§ Supplies (including small laboratory devices), consumable products and lab-ware Equipment rentals and technological platform fees

§ Travel and lodging expenses

§ Knowledge dissemination expenses

§ Fees for intellectual property management and use

§ Professional fees (contracts, subcontracting, etc.) incurred by a QPRI in the course of the project. These must be justified and must not represent more than 10 % of the total budget and may not in any case exceed $20,000

§ CRIBIQ management fees

The INNOV-R, research program, of which CRIBIQ is one of the trustee, is reserved exclusively for MEMBERS of the Consortium.

For each research project funded through the INNOV-R program MANAGEMENT FEES7 equal to 5 % of admissible project costs (plus taxes) will be charged to QPRI participants:

§ A management fee of 3 % will be leveed directly from the funds granted by the MESI

§ The remaining 2 % will be charged to the participating industrial partners, in proportion with the amount of their respective financial contributions.

In the case of projects for which universities receive a portion or the totality of the CRIBIQ grant, RESEARCH OVERHEAD FEES, which are not considered in the calculation of the financial ratios and will be covered by the MESI, shall correspond to 27 % (a fixed rate) of the CRIBIQ contribution to the following admissible expenditures:

§ Salaries, remuneration and benefits

§ Student bursaries

§ Lab-ware, consumable products and supplies

The anticipated maximal duration of CRIBIQ participation in a project is 36 months starting from the first disbursement by CRIBIQ.

7 The contribution of industry partners to CRIBIQ management fees is considered by some granting organizations, including NSERC, as non-allowable expenditures. It is important in this case that you adjust your project financial structure accordingly in order to avoid budgetary revisions at the start of the project.

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Project selection criteria

§ Innovative aspect or prospects for innovation relative to the state of the art (eliminatory criterion*)

§ Choice of methods with regard to project scientific or technical feasibility

§ Project structure, rigor in the definition of the deliverables and the milestones

§ Collaborative aspect of the project (eliminatory criterion)

§ Level of excellence or expertise of the participants from academia

§ Suitability of the partnership for the stated scientific and technical goals

§ Risks associated with deployment of the proposed technology: time in development and adequacy of the investment with regard to commercialization

§ Realism of the project schedule

§ Justification of the financing structure and expenditures

§ Technology transfer and training of highly qualified personnel (students, post-docs, technicians, interns, etc.)

§ Potential for utilization or integration of the project results by the industrial partners

§ Prospects for industrial application; economic and commercial potential

1. Scientific and/or technical quality

2. Methodology, quality of the project design

3. Quality of the consortium

5. Suitability – Means – Feasibility

4. Expected impact of the project

§ Demonstration of the capacity of the proposed solution to reduce GHG emissions in Quebec during the first 10 years of commercial use

§ Quantitative estimation of the potential GHG emissions reduction or avoidance of CO2 and of the cost per metric ton of the CO2 equivalent in Quebec

§ Quality of the methodology used with reference to ISO standard 14064 part 2 to demonstrate the GHG reduction potential; realism of the hypotheses; rigor applied to the estimations

§ Risks associated with deployment of the solution

6. Potential for GHG emissions reduction in Quebec

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For an initial TRL of 1–3 For an initial TRL of 4–6

Industry

$20,000

(20%, of which up to half may be in kind)

$50,000 (50 %)

(25 % in cash, 25 % in kind)

CRIBIQ $50,000 (50%) $50,000 (50%)

Other public sources of funding (NSERC, FRQNT, MITACS, etc.)

$30,000 (30%)

EXAMPLES OF FINANCIAL SET-UPS FOR A PROJECT INVOLVING $100,000 IN ADMISSIBLE EXPENDITURES

Frequently asked questions

To maximize the leverage of the public contribution, which granting programs are suitable?

Examples are those of NSERC (CRD, IRC, ARD, chairs, etc.), other federally funded research chairs, networks of excellence, Mitacs, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada programs and so on. We encourage researchers to file simultaneously their applications to these complementary programs in order to reduce delays in starting the project.

Please note that project funding cannot be combined with funding obtained via another program covered by the MESI department of research, utilization and technology transfer (e.g. Passeport Innovation, créneau ACCORD).

Acceptance of an application by other granting organizations does not guarantee acceptance by CRIBIQ and vice versa. However, when a letter of intent is filed with CRIBIQ, the applicant(s) must indicate by what means (with the aid of what other organizations) they intend to complete the project funding. Note that certain complementary funding programs do not reimburse industrial contributions to CRIBIQ management fees. This needs to be taken into consideration when specifying the project financing.

For a project at TRL 1–3, is a partnership with a single business possible?

Yes, for the purposes of the INNOV-R program, projects at TRL 1–3 may involve a single business. However, the possibility of including another business from outside the province or other partners such as NPOs, Crown corporations, public organizations, municipalities or others should not be overlooked.

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Programme INNOV-R

For further information, please contact:

Cristina MarquesInnovation and Business Development Advisor - GHG reduction sector

418 914-1608, extension 208 cristina.marques@cribiq.qc.ca

Reducing GHG emissions:Mobilizing all sectors of the Quebec economy

All sectors of the Quebec economy are being solicited in order to identify possible actions to undertake in order to reduce the province’s greenhouse gas emissions. Seven industrial research sector groupings have been designated for the deployment of the INNOV-R program.

The Quebec government recognizes these groupings as suitable organizations for promoting, financing and undertaking collaborative research. By there mandate, they are expected to foster knowledge transfer and the appropriation of innovative technologies by businesses in the various key sectors of the Quebec economy.

To obtain further general information on the funding program and the industrial sectors of interest, please consult the INNOV-R Internet site.

INNOV-RFinancing collaborative research on greenhouse gas emissions reduction in Quebec

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The CRIBIQ team

Mohammed BenyagoubPresident and Chief executive officer

418 914-1608, extension 201 mohammed.benyagoub@cribiq.qc.ca

Anis Ben AmorInnovation and Business Development Advisor - Industrial Biobased products & Environment sectors

418 914-1608, extension 203 anis.benamor@cribiq.qc.ca

Tania SiblerCorporative and finance advisor

418 914-1608, extension 200 tania.sibler@cribiq.qc.ca

Cristina MarquesInnovation and Business Development Advisor - GHG emission reduction sector

418 914-1608, extension 208 cristina.marques@cribiq.qc.ca

Elise St-PierreProject coordinator - Industrial Biobased products & Environment sectors

418 914-1608, extension 206 elise.st-pierre@cribiq.qc.ca

Catherine DhontInnovation and Business Development Advisor - Biofood sector

418 914-1608, extension 202 catherine.dhont@cribiq.qc.ca

Gilles BussièresInnovation and Business Development Advisor - Biofood sector

418 914-1608 gilles.bussieres@cribiq.qc.ca

Anne Hélène BoilyProject coordinator

418 914-1608 anne.helene.boily@cribiq.qc.ca

France LapointeAdministrative assistant

418 914-1608, extension 204 france.lapointe@cribiq.qc.ca

Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec Édifice Le Delta 1 2875, boul. Laurier, bureau D1-1320 Québec (Québec) G1V 2M2

418 914-1608 cribiq@cribiq.qc.ca www.cribiq.qc.ca

Financial partners:

MissionThe CRIBIQ is a sector-focused industrial research community whose mission is to promote and finance the development of innovative high-performance bioprocesses in Quebec by facilitating collaboration between industrial partners and Quebec’s public research institutes.