We are seeking pre-commercial innovative prototypes that can be tested in real life settings and address a variety of priorities within the Government of Canada.
Funding mechanism:
Contract
Opening date:
March 31, 2022
Closing date:
April 26, 2022, 14:00 Eastern Time
Overview
The Testing Stream aims to procure, test and evaluate innovative late stage pre-commercial prototypes.
The purpose of these calls for proposals (CFPs) is to create pools of pre-qualified innovations that Canada may select from to address a broad range of the Government of Canada organizations' requirements.
Each call includes a Standard Component and Military Component:
Standard component $550,000
Military component $1,150,000
If you meet the eligibility criteria and have a prototype that can respond to one of the problems below, apply now!
Coastal Resilience
Problem statement
Canada has the longest coastline in the world, measuring over 243,000km. Coastal communities and shorelines are experiencing increasing vulnerability due to Global Climate Change. These changing weather patterns generate flooding and erosion caused by the combined effects of tides, storm surges, high waves, tsunamis, ice hazards, rising sea levels, declining seaice cover, and shifting weather and precipitation patterns. Without intervention, damages and losses are expected to escalate over the coming decades, significantly impacting the economy and safety of Canadians, and disproportionally affecting Indigenous peoples, and impacting Canada's ability to meet its net zero targets by 2050.
The Government of Canada requires an array of short-term and long-term solutions that can assist with forecasting, situational awareness, climate assessments, marine sector decarbonization, and emergency response along Canada's coastline.
Definitions and requirements
- Long term: anywhere from 5-30 years
- Short term: anywhere from 1-5 years
Essential outcomes
- Flood prediction and forecasting systems;
- Naturebased solutions (NBS) for flood and erosion risk management;
- Climate change impact assessment and adaptation solutions;
- Innovation in Space-based Earth observation technologies and related applications to support incident management (including disaster risk prevention), risk assessment, contingency planning, spatial planning, infrastructure and building design, early warning systems and risk transfer mechanisms;
- Electric vessel charging infrastructure (ex: suitable to a variety of vessel types);
- Low carbon shore side infrastructure;
- Coastal Bathy-topo Lidar, Point cloud from imagery, bathymetric sonar, imagery, sampling, etc.; and
- Solutions to address sedimentation at points of entry.
ISC will not accept any of the following:
- Solutions that are sub-systems, not stand-alone or require integration into existing systems or infrastructure;
- Solutions that are not currently designed for marine/ocean applications;
- Innovations strictly in the design phase of development and/or do not have required certifications/approvals to safely test in an operational setting; and
- General Collaboration or communication tools.
Navigation and Ocean Communications
Problem statement
Canada's three oceans are fundamental to our identity and culture. They provide recreational and commercial opportunities to Indigenous and coastal communities, and connect us globally. Working with research organizations to collect and share information and data on ocean conditions is key to protecting our oceans for the benefit of future generations. All Canadians, and especially coastal communities, need confidence that commercial shipping is taking place in a way that is safe for mariners and that protects and sustains the economic, environmental, social, and cultural health of our oceans and coasts.
Navigation and Ocean communications are critical to ensure that coastal operations can scale and the next generation of automated marine vessels can effectively and safely be integrated into marine operational theatres.
The Government of Canada is interested in an array of solutions that can enhance current capabilities of ocean navigation and communications.
Definitions
Three Oceans – Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific
AIS – Automatic Identification System
Essential outcomes
- Solutions to assist with ice navigation;
- Navigation of autonomous vessels in ice and harsh environments including, but not limited to, the St Lawrence, Hudson's Bay, Hudson's Straight, Labrador Sea, the Great Lakes, and the Arctic Ocean;
- Navigational Tools that can implement autonomous technology utilizing sources of existing data (e.g.S-100) or situational awareness data/sensors inputs (e.g. position/orientation/, radar, sonars, lidar, live imagery, AIS, etc.);
- Autonomous Navigation Systems (ANS) applications that demonstrate they can meet the various levels of autonomous navigation (levels 0 through 4);
- Ships as a sensor technology;
- Weather routing technologies;
- Solutions that can predict, automate or disseminate the real-time detection of marine mammals in environments with active sonar operations;
- Route optimization technology;
- Seafloor mapping solutions;
- Artificial Intelligence Systems for Navigation;
- SWARM Technology Systems for Navigation;
- Vessel situational awareness technologies; and
- Ultra-energy efficient sensors, data storage and communication technology.
ISC will not accept any of the following:
- Tools that cannot operate in all types of environments and conditions, including in the Arctic; and
- Raw data solutions.
Autonomous Surface and Subsurface Vehicles, and Associated Infrastructure
Problem statement
MASS systems, ASVs, and autonomous underwater vessels are on the horizon, and over the next decades will have a profound impact on marine transportation and shipping sectors. Canada will need to continue to prepare for the inevitable use of increased automation on the so-called smart ships of the future. This change will have a direct impact on the training and livelihood of seafarers and marine traffic management, it will alter how marine traffic is managed and how Canadian ports interact with un-crewed vessels. The current lack of autonomous vehicles and infrastructure increases the difficulty of navigating coastal waterways.
The Government of Canada wants to explore MASS, small MASS, ASV, AUV, and ROV systems and their associated physical infrastructure to help enhance the capacity and safety of ocean operations.
Definitions
MASS – Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship
Small MASS – Length between 2m and 12m
ASV – Autonomous Surface Vessel
AUV – Autonomous Underwater Vehicles
ROV – Remotely Operated underwater-Vehicles
UAS – Uncrewed Aerial Systems
Essential outcomes
- Small unmanned Submarines and subsurface vehicles;
- Marine Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS);
- Remotely Operated underwater-Vehicles (ROV) and / Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) that can inspect underwater assets;
- Ship launched UAS and UAS that can transition between functional theatres;
- Configurable underwater vehicles, with seafloor mapping capabilities and ability to collect seafloor samples for lab analysis;
- SWARM Technology Systems;
- Improved fuel, energy rejuvenation and battery systems for fully autonomous vehicles;
- Ultra-energy efficient sensors;
- Remote control centers to Manage Autonomous Vessels;
- Storage, maintenance, and infrastructure for Autonomous Systems;
- Mobile remote control facility / workspace. This is envisioned to be a modified van / truck / recreational vehicle that will tow the trailered ASV; and
- Mobile remote control center and ASV that is equipped with suitable and compatible computer systems (hardware and software) for ASV control and data acquisition requirements.
ISC will not accept any of the following:
- Integrated, turn-key solutions are being sought. As such, stand-alone components will not be accepted. If battery systems and sensors are proposed, they must be vehicle agnostic and readily integrated into existing fleets.
- Software only solutions;
- Solutions that are purely communications based;
- Solutions that are not currently designed for marine/ocean applications; and
- Innovations that are strictly in the design phase of development and/or do not have required certifications/approvals to safely test.
Aquaculture, Blue Carbon and Ocean Pollution Remediation
Problem statement
The ocean is an important driver of Canadian prosperity with the blue economy providing an opportunity for sustainable development in coastal regions. However, the health of the world's oceans is under pressure as a result of overexploitation, pollution, and climate change.
Canada's oceans are being subjected to an increasing amount of pollution, including, but not limited to, microplastics, eutrophication, hydrocarbon contamination and heavy metals. The currently low temporal and spatial resolution with which pollutants can be detected and quantified in waterbodies and marine sediments is limiting an efficient pollution prevention, mitigation and remediation process. Consequently, the United Nations proclaimed 2021-2030 as a Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to support global efforts to reverse the decline in ocean health and create improved conditions for sustainable development in the ocean.
A healthy ocean generates economic and social benefits while at the same time performs vital functions such as carbon sequestration and climate regulation. Recognizing that long-term value creation is directly linked to the ability to restore ocean health is essential to sustainable growth and to the resilience of coastal communities.
The Government of Canada is requesting an array of short-term and long-term solutions that can assist with ocean health in areas such as aquaculture, blue carbon and ocean pollution remediation.
Definitions and requirements
Pollution- Any substance introduced into the ocean that has unpleasant or harmful effects. Although ocean pollution often comes from direct sources, such as sewage or industrial liquid waste emitted by sewage treatment plants, industries, septic tanks, or waste dumped by oceangoing vessels, it may also fall out of the atmosphere or seep in from surrounding land.
Essential outcomes
- DNA based technology to understand biodiversity in the water; water quality measurement technologies for residential and commercial use as well as biota habitats;
- Sensing solutions that can assist with the detection and monitoring of pollutants in water and aquatic sediments;
- Seaweed aquaculture to capture carbon, either harvested to generate energy or sunk to capture carbon;
- Solutions that support the management of waste, including plastic waste, from aquatic environments;
- Solutions that assist with the transportation of Co2 from source to sink, off/on-shore storage via multimodal transportation. This includes a prototype dual-purpose system (tank, container etc.) to transport 5,000m^3 CO2 and H2/Ammonia;
- Sediment remediation solutions and remote sensing of sediment status including contamination status and organic carbon nutrient content;
- Remote sensing technologies and technologies to detect marine species and biodiversity;
- Solutions that provide improved autonomous monitoring capabilities over extended timeframes,
- Solutions that improve pollution scanning capabilities over extended areas (e.g. remote sensing);and
- Risk Impact assessment methodologies solution using Space-based Earth Observation technologies to assess before/after impacts.
ISC will not accept any of the following:
- Solutions that are purely communications based;
- Solutions that are not currently designed for marine/ocean applications; and
- Innovations that are strictly in the design phase of development and/or do not have required certifications/approvals to safely test.
Eligibility and evaluation
Mandatory Criteria (MC)
MC1: Canadian Bidder
The Bidder must meet the definition of a Canadian Bidder. A Canadian Bidder is defined as a Canadian person or entity submitting a proposal on its own behalf and having a place of business in Canada where the person or entity conducts activities on a permanent basis that is clearly identified by name and accessible during normal working hours.
MC2: Canadian Content
80% of the financial proposal costs, the total proposal price to Canada stated in "Section –G Financial Proposal", must be Canadian goods or Canadian services. For the complete Canadian content definition please refer to the Canadian Content Definition A3050T (2020-07-01) at Part 1, General Information, Article 1.5 of the solicitation documents:
- Solicitation for small or medium enterprises
- Solicitation for large business, not-for-profit or academic institution
MC3: Ownership
The Bidder must be the owner of the Intellectual Property (IP) for the proposed innovation, or have a licence to the IP rights from a Canadian licensor for the proposed innovation and not be infringing on any IP rights.
MC4: Subject Area and Component
The Bidder's proposed innovation, as described and in its intended application, must be within the scope of one (1) of the relevant Military or Standard Component Subject Area(s) identified, as selected by the Bidder.
MC5: Pre-Commercial Status
The proposed innovation must not be openly available in the marketplace, and must not have been previously sold on a commercial basis as of the date of this bid submission. Refer to the definitions of "Pre-Commercial Innovation and Commercial Sales" at Appendix 2 of the solicitation documents:
- Solicitation for small or medium enterprises
- Solicitation for large business, not-for-profit or academic institution
MC6: Previously Pre-qualified Innovation
The proposed innovation or any other versions of the proposed innovation must not have been previously awarded a contract or grant in the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP) or its predecessor, the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP), nor under any Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) Streams.
The proposed innovation or any other versions of the proposed innovation must not currently be active in a pool of pre-qualified innovations in any of the above. A proposed innovation that is currently active in a pool will be accepted only once the bid validity period for that proposal has expired or the Bidder has withdrawn their innovation from the relevant pool, prior to solicitation closing date.
A Bidder can participate more than once, as long as the proposed innovations are sufficiently different. If the proposed innovation resembles an innovation that is currently active in a pool and has not been withdrawn prior to solicitation closing, the following assessment will be used to determine sufficient difference to proceed.
| Pass | Sufficiently Different
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| Fail | Not Sufficiently Different
|
MC7: Maximum Funding
The Bidder's Financial Proposal must not exceed $550,000 CAD in the Standard Component, or $1,150,000 CAD in the Military Component, not including applicable taxes, shipping costs, and travel and living expenses, where applicable. Refer to Section G – Financial Proposal.
MC8: Program Eligibility
The Bidder's proposal must be aligned with the mandate of the ISC Testing Stream where Canada procures, through a Contract, the Bidder's Innovation with the purpose of testing it in an operational environment.
The following criteria only apply to small or medium enterprises
MC9: Small Business
The Bidder must be a for-profit person or entity, with 499 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. This calculation must take into account and include affiliated businesses, such as parent companies and subsidiaries that are either in or outside of Canada.
MC10: Bidder Presence in Canada
The Bidder must meet the following minimum requirements: 50% or more of the Bidder's FTE employees have Canada as their ordinary place of work; 50% or more of the Bidder's annual wages, salaries and fees must be paid to employees and contractors who spend the majority of their time working in Canada; and 50% or more of the Bidder's senior executives (Vice President and above) have Canada as their principal residence. These calculations must take into account and include affiliated businesses, such as parent companies and subsidiaries that are either in or outside of Canada.
Stage 1 Technical Evaluation – Screening Criteria (SC)
SC1: Innovation
The proposed innovation must meet one or more of the ISC definitions of innovation below:
- An inventionFootnote 2, new technology or new process that is not currently available in the marketplace.
- Significant modifications to the application of existing technologies/components/processes that are applied in a setting or condition for which current applications are not possible or feasible.
- An improvement in functionality, cost or performance over an existing technology/process that is considered state-of-the-art or the current industry best practice.
| Pass | The proposed innovation meet one or more of the ISC definitions of innovation. |
| Fail |
|
SC2: Operational Readiness Validation
The Bidder must demonstrate that at the time of proposal submission, the proposed innovation is ready for testing in an operational environment, i.e. at minimum TRL 7 per the ISC Technology Readiness Level Scale.
| Pass |
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| Fail |
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SC3: Safety Considerations
The Bidder must demonstrate that they have obtained or possess, at the time of proposal submission, the certifications, licences, and approvals required to safely deploy the proposed innovation, and that it poses no risks to individuals or Government of Canada organizations involved in an operational demonstration.
This is to ensure that a Government of Canada organization and personnel are not exposed to safety or privacy risks during the conduct of the operational demonstration.
| Pass | At the time of proposal submission:
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| Fail | At the time of proposal submission:
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SC4: Scope – Outcomes
The Bidder must demonstrate that the proposed innovation provides a solution to the Problem Statement, and meets one or more of the Outcomes identified in the Problem Statement.
| Pass |
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| Fail |
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Stage 2 Technical Evaluation – Point-Rated Screening Criteria (PS)
PS1: Advance on State of the Art
The Bidder must demonstrate that the proposed innovation improves upon current approaches and state of the art, or current practices relevant to its purpose or application, in a manner that yields competitive advantages.
| 2 points |
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| 12 points |
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| 24 points Minimum |
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| 40 points |
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PS2: Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy
The Bidder must demonstrate a suitable Intellectual Property (IP) strategy, relevant to protect IP generated by the proposed innovation and to protect the Bidder. This criteria also assesses the degree to which the strategy is appropriate to support successful commercialization.
| 0 points | The Intellectual Property (IP) strategy is insufficiently rationalized or substantiated, and is poorly suited for background IP or generated IP as they pertain to the proposed innovation. |
| 8 points Minimum |
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| 12 points |
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PS3: Management Team
The Bidder must demonstrate that they have filled the key roles in the management team with individuals possessing relevant background or skill setFootnote 3, who can support the successful commercialization of the proposed innovation.
- Role A: Company leadership (e.g. CEO, or equivalent)
- Role B: Technology development (e.g. CTO, or equivalent)
- Role C: Commercialization strategy (e.g. Business Manager, or equivalent)
- Role D: Financial management (e.g. CFO, or equivalent)
| 0 points |
| ||||
| 4 points | All roles are identified and possess a background or skill set (education and/or experience) that is relevant to the company's activities or their respective fields, however gaps remain that are unmitigated and have the potential to impede commercial launch and commercial success. | ||||
| 8 points Minimum | All roles are identified and possess, or are supported by, a background or skill set (education and/or experience) that is relevant to the company's activities or their respective fields, and will likely enable them to reach commercial launch. | ||||
| 12 points | All roles are identified and possess, or are supported by, a strong background or skill set (education and/or experience) that would serve well in commercializing the proposed innovation, is clearly relevant to their respective industry, and increases the likelihood of commercial success. | ||||
PS4: Financial Capacity
The Bidder must demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources and a credible financial strategy in order to execute their commercial launch plan, without a potential ISC Testing Stream contract.
In determining the credibility of a financial strategy, evaluators consider: funding sources, the amount of secured and unsecured funds, the degree of risk, and whether these risks are reasonable or sufficiently mitigated based on the context of the sector. Credibility, potential risks, and applicability to support launch costs should also be considered.
Financial resources must demonstrate ability to commercialize the proposed innovation.
| 0 points |
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| 8 points Minimum |
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| 12 points | The Bidder has demonstrated they have sufficient secured funds and have a credible financial strategy to successfully commercialize the proposed innovation. |
Stage 3 Technical Evaluation – Point Rated Criteria (PR)
PR1: Innovation Benefits
This criterion is intended to assess the degree to which the proposed innovation could contribute to the positive economic development of the innovation ecosystem in Canada.
| 0 points | Economic benefits are not identified or are insufficient. |
| 4 points | Economic benefits to the innovation ecosystem in Canada are limited. |
| 8 points | Economic benefits to the innovation ecosystem in Canada are significant. |
PR2: Operational Demonstration Risk Mitigation Strategies
This criterion is intended to assess the degree to which the Bidder has identified all important risks in the demonstration scenario, and degree to which those risks are addressed with appropriate mitigation strategies.
| 0 points |
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| 4 points |
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| 8 points |
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| 16 points |
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PR3: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Benefits
This criterion is intended to assess the degree to which the Bidder has sufficient measures to effectively achieve and maintain gender balance and diversity within; their business, supply chain, or business ecosystem.
Score levels reflect the number of the following elements the Bidder addressed in their answer:
- Anti-discrimination policies;
- Recruitment strategy and hiring process;
- Training available to educate the Bidder's workforce on diversity and inclusion;
- How diversity and inclusion are factored into Bidder's supplier selection methods.
| 0 points | Policies regarding gender balance and diversity are not identified, are insufficient, or do not appear genuine. |
| 4 points | Information provided clearly demonstrates that the Bidder is implementing some measures (up to two (2) elements) to achieve and maintain gender balance and increase diversity. |
| 8 points | Information provided clearly demonstrates that the Bidder is implementing most measures (two (2) or more elements) to achieve and maintain gender balance and increase diversity. |
| 12 points | Information provided clearly demonstrates that the Bidder is implementing all measures (all four (4) elements) to achieve and maintain gender balance and increase diversity. |
PR4: Commercialization Strategy and Market Risks
This criterion is intended for the Bidder to demonstrate that they have a credible strategy to commercialize the proposed innovation, identifying market risks and providing suitable mitigation strategies for these risks.
| 0 points |
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| 8 points |
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| 24 points |
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| 32 points |
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PR5: Adoption Potential – Features & Benefits, Target Market
This criterion is intended to assess to what degree the proposed innovation's features and benefits are attractive to the relevant target market.
| 0 points |
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| 4 points |
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| 8 points |
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| 16 points |
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PR6: Adoption Potential – Cost to End User
This criterion is intended to assess to what degree the cost of the proposed innovation and the efforts required to adopt it are attractive and relevant for the target market.
The acquisition costs of the proposed innovation include the intended market price, the organizational impact, time and resources required for training and installation, and other direct costs for target market end-user (the customer) to acquire the proposed innovation.
| 0 points | In relation to the acquisition cost and key features and benefits, an unacceptable amount of time and resources are required for the end user to adopt the proposed innovation. |
| 4 points | In relation to the acquisition cost and key features and benefits, a significant amount of time and resources are required for the end user to adopt the proposed innovation. |
| 8 points | In relation to the acquisition cost and key features and benefits, a reasonable amount of time and resources are required for the end user to adopt the proposed innovation. |
| 16 points | In relation to the acquisition cost and key features and benefits, virtually no time and resources are required for the end user to adopt the proposed innovation. |
PR7: Scope – Outcomes
This criterion is intended to assess the degree to which the Bidder meets the Outcomes identified in the Problem Statement.
| 0 points | Insufficient or no information was provided to clearly demonstrate that the proposed innovation addresses more than one of the Outcomes identified in the Problem Statement. |
| 4 points | Information provided clearly demonstrates that the proposed innovation addresses 2 of the Outcomes. |
| 8 points | Information provided clearly demonstrates that the proposed innovation addresses 3 of the Outcomes. |
| 16 points | Information provided clearly demonstrates that the proposed innovation addresses 4 or more of the Outcomes. |
Maximum available points from Stage 2 & Stage 3 : 192 points
Minimum Total ScoreFootnote 4 from Stage 2 & Stage 3 to pre-qualify: 115 points
Pathway to commercialization
Enabling the Government of Canada to buy what it tries – a Pathway to Commercialization for eligible Canadian SMEs
Our new pilot project gives small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to sell your innovation directly to the Government of Canada without competing.
Through the Pathway to Commercialization under ISC's Testing Stream, eligible SMEs can receive commercial contracts based on the successful testing and market-readiness of your pre-commercial prototype. It is important to note that this pathway will only be available to eligible Canadian SMEs, which represent over 97% of all businesses in Canada, a percentage that mirrors past participation in the program.
How will it work?
- Once your initial ISC testing contract is completed, you may be eligible for the Pathway to Commercialization if your innovation is market-ready at technology readiness level (TRL) 9 or above (see other eligibility criteria)
- You will have up to 12 months to be assessed against eligibility criteria to determine if you will be placed on a Pathway to Commercialization source list where government departments can browse and purchase your successfully-tested innovations for up to three years
- Contracts under this initiative will each have a limit of up to $8M
Important considerations
- You must be selling the same innovation from your initial Testing Stream contract
- If you participate in the Pathway to Commercialization, your innovation will no longer be admissible for further testing nor any subsequent purchases contracts under EN578-22ISC5 of the Testing Stream.
- The requirements for commercial contracts will reflect the operational needs of client departments, the nature of the innovation, and will be put in place by Public Services and Procurement Canada, the program's Contracting Authority
How will SMEs be assessed?
A number of criteria will be used as part of the assessment process, including:
- Financial capacity
- Technology readiness
- Certifications
- IP strategy
- Company size
- Scalability
- Innovation test performance
Please read the call for proposals (CFP) for more information on the Pathway to Commercialization.
Frequently asked questions
All incoming questions regarding this specific call for proposals should be addressed to TPSGC.PASICVoletessai-APISCTestingStream.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.
You can also consult the Frequently asked questions about the Innovative Solutions Canada Program.
A glossary is also available.