Open Innovation Subsidy Program for start-up companies

• The company must be an emerging/start‑up business with its head office or main place of business located in one of Montréal’s boroughs or neighbouring municipalities, and have been in operation for fewer than five years.
• The company must have a team of at least two people working full-time and annual sales of $2 million or less.
• If the company is a joint-stock corporation, its share capital must be mainly held by Canadian citizens, permanent residents or holders of a Certificat de sélection du Québec, and it cannot be more than 50% owned by another legal entity; social economy enterprises (cooperatives or non-profits) that meet these criteria are also eligible.
• The company must have a formal collaboration agreement with a partner organization established in the Montréal agglomeration that meets the program’s partner criteria and provides a minimum financial contribution to the project.
• The project must be carried out over a maximum of 12 months, fall within one of the specified sectors (biofood and access to food; entertainment and tourism; logistics and intelligent mobility; medical technologies and community health; clean technologies and green energy including energy optimization and circular economy; commercial vitality of neighbourhoods and residents’ quality of life), and aim to commercialize an innovative solution or product addressing an urban issue, ecological transition or labour shortage.

Who is eligible?

• Start-up companies (including social economy businesses such as cooperatives and non-profit organizations) that meet the program’s criteria
• Businesses in the biofood sector and organizations working on access to food
• Companies in entertainment and tourism
• Organizations in logistics and intelligent mobility
• Businesses developing medical technologies and community health solutions
• Companies in clean technologies and green energy, including energy optimization and circular economy
• Businesses contributing to the commercial vitality of neighbourhoods and residents’ quality of life

Who is not eligible

• Projects that have already received another subsidy from the City of Montréal.
• Start-ups whose head office or main place of business is located outside Montréal’s boroughs or neighbouring municipalities.
• Projects implemented over a period longer than 12 months.
• Projects whose main activities fall outside the specified sectors (biofood and access to food; entertainment and tourism; logistics and intelligent mobility; medical technologies and community health; clean technologies and green energy including energy optimization and circular economy; commercial vitality of neighbourhoods and residents’ quality of life).

Eligible expenses

• Salaries and wages for temporary or permanent staff working on the project.
• Professional fees, including legal support, research by recognized institutions, accounting services, and services for software or data processing development.
• Purchase of equipment and supplies required for the project.
• Rental fees for equipment used in the project.
• Fees related to obtaining product licencing or certification.

Eligible geographic areas

• Start-up companies whose head office or principal place of business is located in one of Montréal’s boroughs.
• Start-up companies whose head office or principal place of business is located in neighbouring municipalities of Montréal.
• Partner organizations established within the Montréal agglomeration.

• Growth potential of the start-up and its capacity to successfully complete the open innovation project.
• Quality of the project itself and the collaboration between the start-up and the partner organization.
• Scope and financial benefits (economic impact) expected from the project.

• The program is currently suspended and new applications cannot be submitted because all available funds have been fully committed.
• The legal framework for this subsidy is defined in the By-law establishing the open innovation subsidy program for emerging businesses (RCG 20-033) and its amendments.
• The program is designed to encourage collaborations that contribute to the sustainable transformation of Montréal, including economic, cultural, social, environmental, and mobility-related dimensions.
• The City reserves the right to request partial or full reimbursement of the subsidy if certain conditions are not respected in the year following project completion.