IVADO and the RSRI (Regroupements sectoriels de recherche industrielle, or sector-based industrial research clusters) are joining forces within the mandate of the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie (MEIE) to drive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) in Québec.

Join PARTENAR-IA and benefit from the support of the IVADO-RSRI coalition to transform your ideas into projects with meaningful impacts. Let’s work together to make artificial intelligence a driver of growth and success for your company.

The deadline to submit a proposal under the current call for projects is April 15, 2025.

Main goals

Enhance competitiveness and foster widespread adoption of AI via transformative cross-sector collaborations that advantageously position Québec while delivering significant and immediate economic benefits for the province.

  • Maximum period: 24 months
  • Funding: up to $1.5 million per project
  • Type of program: Expenses-reimbursement
  • 50% for startups incubated at Acet, Centech, CDL, District 3 or Next AI
  • 35% to 50% for other companies and organizations, as applicable.
  • Submission deadline dates:
  • April 15
  • October 15

Eligibility*

  • Each partnership project must involve companies with a head office as well as operations and R&D capacities in Québec.
  • If the companies have a website, it must have a French version.
  • The partnership must consist of at least two Québec-based companies, one of which has fewer than 250 employees (startup-VSE-SME).
  • A portion of the project must mature to industrialization or pre-commercialization (TRL 7 and +).

*The full list of eligibility criteria (in French) is available in the MEIE guide.

Why apply?

PARTENAR-IA differs from other subsidy programs in that it provides the opportunity to submit multiple projects on the same subject to PARTENAR-IA and in so doing help advance your project to different degrees of maturity:

  • Proof of concept
  • Development and improvement of products/processes
  • Testing
  • Technology showcase

With PARTENAR-IA, you can therefore apply with an R&D project and a rollout project simultaneously. Most oth.er traditional subsidy programs cover only one or the other.

This is a flexible financing program that reimburses a wide range of expenses (from 35% to 50%):

  • Direct costs for personnel involved
  • Cost of research-related resources (e.g., students, research professionals, laboratory, materials)
  • Equipment
  • Certification
  • Protection and definition of intellectual property
  • Studies, documentation, SotA review
  • Equipment rental
  • Etc.

*Cumulative government spending can total up to 75% of eligible project expenses.

Advice on how to structure a transformative project

Maximize the chances of your project being accepted by demonstrating that it will have significant, quantifiable and qualifiable impacts on both the research ecosystem and the development end-user community.

The collaborative aspect and the expertise of the project team together form an important assessment criterion.

For the project to be considered collaborative, each participating company must demonstrate that it is sharing in the costs, benefits and intellectual property of the planned innovation, with or without the collaboration of one or more eligible research centres in Québec.

Roles and responsibilities

The RSRI, pursuant to their mandate from the Government of Québec, provide support and guidance to the participating companies throughout their innovation project, from setup to completion, leveraging their diverse sector-based expertise and providing access to funding.

IVADO plays a strategic role in providing scientific, technical and innovation-management support. Like the RSRI, IVADO provides coaching, validation and networking, but its expertise is focused on the aspects related to artificial intelligence so as to ensure a 360° approach to all projects supported.

How it works

The PARTENAR-IA project submission process

Still have questions about the program?

Make an appointment for an exploratory meeting and start your journey toward success with PARTENAR-IA. Please prepare the specific questions you have about the program and our support services.

Ready to adopt AI as a vital lever in your success?

Download the letter of intent here.

The letter of intent will entitle you to a high-level assessment of your project’s eligibility criteria, and provide you with guidelines for effectively structuring your project, thereby maximizing your chances of obtaining the grant.