Glossary

Advance on State-of-the-art
The highest level of development.
Applicant
Those applying to the program will be considered an applicant.
Bidder
A person or organization making a formal offer for something.
Challenge
Address scientific and technological needs/gaps/challenges faced by government.

May identify only one challenge or multiple challenges

Challenge Notice
Multiple notices will be published addressing a challenge(s) faced by various Government of Canada departments and/or agencies.

Details related to each Challenge(s) will be published under distinct Challenge Notices.

Is a solicitation seeking ideas and/or solutions to a Challenge(s).

Commercialization
The process of introducing a new product or method into the market.
Contract
An agreement between two or more persons, which creates an obligation to do or not to do a particular thing.
Corporation
A company authorized to act as a single entity and recognized as such in law.
Eligible Small Business

Solution proposals can only be submitted by a small business that meets all of the following criteria:

  • for profit
  • incorporated in Canada (federally or provincially)
  • 499 or fewer full-time equivalent (FTE) employeesFootnote *
  • research and development activities that take place in Canada
  • 50% or more of its annual wages, salaries and fees are currently paid to employees and contractors who spend the majority of their time working in CanadaFootnote *
  • 50% or more of its FTE employees have Canada as their ordinary place of workFootnote *
  • 50% or more of its senior executives (Vice President and above) have Canada as their principal residenceFootnote *
Evaluator
An evaluation team composed of the National Research Council – Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), PWGSC and/or subject matter experts from other government departments will evaluate proposals. If required, Canada may use an external Subject Matter Expert to evaluate any proposal.
Full-time equivalent employee
An employee is defined as receiving a T4 Statement of Remuneration Paid slip (or equivalent) from the Applicant/Bidder. One FTE is defined as at least 30 hours/week of paid labour. Part-time employees must be included as fractions of 1 FTE based on average labour hours compared to typical hours for 1 FTE employee.
Grants
A transfer payment subject to pre-established eligibility and entitlement criteria. A grant is not subject to being accounted for by a recipient nor normally subject to audit by the department. The recipient may be required to report on results achieved.
Innovation
An invention, new technology or new process that is not currently available in the marketplace.

Significant modifications to the application of existing technologies/process that are applied in a setting or condition for which current applications are not possible or feasible.

An improvement to an existing technology/process that represents a significant (generally patentable) improvement in functionality, cost or performance of goods and services that are considered state of the art or the current industry best practice.

Incremental improvements, "good engineering" and technologies that would go ahead in a normal course of product development (that is, the next version or release) are not considered "innovations" for the purposes of this CFP.

Novel
Is not known or not an obvious derivative of an existing way of doing things.
Pre-Commercial
A product, technology or method that has not entered the marketplace yet.
Procurement
The process of obtaining goods and services that includes the determination of requirements and acquisition from a supply system or by purchase from the trade.
Proof of Concept
A realization of a certain method or idea in order to demonstrate its feasibility, or a demonstration in principle with the aim of verifying that some concept or theory has practical potential.
Prototype
A first, typical or preliminary model of something, especially a machine, from which other forms are developed or copied.
Proposal
An offer, submitted in response to a request from a contracting authority, which constitutes a solution to the problem, requirement or objective in the request.
Sponsoring Department
The department which is facing the posted challenge and will fund the development of the proof of concept and prototype.
Subsidiary
Is understood to be a business which has more than 50% of its ordinary shares or voting power owned by another business or individual.
Technology
The practical application of science to commerce or industry.

The science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems.

An innovation based in scientific and industrial progress.

Specific information and know-how required for development, production or use of good or service.

Technology Readiness Levels
Technology readiness levels are a measure to evaluate the maturity of an innovation.