Application Guide: Challenge Stream

* 6. Head Office

• (Street, Unit Number, etc)
• City
• Postal Code
• Country
• Province
• Website

* 7. Mailing Address in Canada

• (Street, Unit Number, etc)
• City
• Postal Code
• Country
• Province

• Percentage of women in business ownership
• Percentage of youth (15-30 years old) in business ownership
• Percentage of persons with disabilities in business ownership
• Percentage of indigenous people in business ownership
• Percentage of visible minorities in business ownership

Intellectual Property Questions

2) If yes, what were the sources sought by your business to obtain information, guidance or advice on patents, trademarks or other types of intellectual property? Check all that apply.

3) Does your business have a formal IP strategy (either separate from or as part of the overall business plan)?

All of the following eligibility requirements must be met by the Applicant/Bidder, regardless of whether the Applicant/Bidder is a business that has a Head Office in Canada or has a global Head Office outside of Canada.

• The Applicant/Bidder certifies that it is a for profit business.
• The Applicant/Bidder certifies that it is an incorporated business in Canada. Incorporation can take place either federally or provincially.
• The Applicant/Bidder certifies that it has 499 or fewer Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) employees.
• The Applicant/Bidder certifies that it has Research and Development (R&D) activities taking place in Canada
• The Applicant/Bidder certifies that it currently pays at least 50% of its annual wages, salaries, and fees to employees and contractors who spend a majority of their time working in Canada.
• The Applicant/Bidder certifies that it has 50% or more of its full-time employees (FTEs) located in Canada as their ordinary place of work.
• The Applicant/Bidder certifies that it has 50% or more of its senior executives (Vice President and above) with their principal residence in Canada

Calculations must take into account and include affiliated businesses, such as parent companies and subsidiaries, that are within Canada or outside of Canada.

I agree and certify that all statements above are true.

As part of your bid, you may optionally attach a diagram, schematic, or chart as a reference to your proposed solution.
Please note that if the attachment does not meet the requirements below, the image will be removed from your bid prior to evaluation.

• Only one attachment with a maximum size of 10Mb will be accepted.
• Only the following format will be accepted: JPG, GIF, TIF, PDF or PNG.
• The attachment must be clear and legible on one page measuring 8.5" x 11".
• Text on the attachment must be limited to essential information directly related to the image (e.g. a legend, percentage, references, etc.).
• The attachment has to be referenced in your answer to section 4, question 1 where cited.

Note that including an attachment is not mandatory and no points will be given for including an attachment. The Applicant/Bidder acknowledges that it is within Canada's sole discretion to determine whether the attachment is removed or included in the bid.

* Project Name

Project Abstract

* Provide the primary physical address where the project will occur: (Street, Unit Number, etc.)

* City

* Province

* Country

* Postal Code

Does the company own, or have the rights to, the required background Intellectual Property (IP) required to complete the project? Background IP refers to work created prior to, or independently of the project being proposed in this application.

• If "No", please describe how you will obtain or acquire access to the appropriate background IP to complete the project.

• If "Not Applicable", please explain why access to background IP is not required. (maximum 500 characters)

1 (a) Describe your proposed solution and how it responds to the challenge. Clearly include in your answer how your solution meets all of the Essential Outcomes (if identified) in the Desired Outcomes and Considerations section in the challenge notice. (maximum 5000 characters + additional 1000 characters for each outcome when more than 5 are listed in the notice)

1 (b) Describe how your proposed solution addresses the Additional Outcomes (if identified) in the Desired Outcomes and Considerations section in the Challenge Notice. If no Additional Outcomes are identified in the Challenge Notice, text entered in this section will not be considered. (maximum 3000 characters)

2 (a) Indicate the current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) (1-6) of your proposed solution.

2 (b) Describe the research and development activities that have taken place to bring the proposed solution to the stated TRL. (maximum 2,500 characters):

3a. Innovation
Demonstrate how the proposed solution meets one or more of the ISC definitions of innovation below:

• An invention*, 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.

* An "invention" is defined for the purposes of ISC as: "A manufacturing design or any other new and useful improvement that is new or novel, that is, not commonly known or not an obvious derivative of an existing way of doing things.

 (maximum 1000 characters)

3b. Advance on State of the Art
Describe in detail the competitive advantages and level of advancement over existing technologies. Where appropriate, name existing technologies as well as potential substitutes or competitors. To demonstrate this, proposals should include the following information (maximum 2000 characters):

• Improvements (minor or major) over existing technologies or substitutes. Use direct comparison.
• How the proposed innovation will create competitive advantages in existing market niches or market

Demonstrate a feasible Phase 1 project plan by completing the table below. Include project milestones, project activities under each milestone, the time required to complete each milestone (e.g., days, weeks and/or months), the total time required to complete the project, and the success criteria. Complete the table below. Indicate if any milestones and activities will be completed concurrently. *Note: Phase 1 cannot exceed 6 months and TRL6

Identify potential risks (e.g. Human resources, financial, project management, etc.) to the successful development of the proof of concept and how they will be mitigated in Phase 1? (maximum 2,000 characters)

Demonstrate how your project implementation team has the required management and technological skills sets and experience to deliver the project plan for Phase 1 by completing the table. Please note that a member can have more than one role. Include the labour rates and level of effort for each member. A day is defined as 7.5 hours of work, exclusive of meal breaks. The labour rates and level of effort will be reviewed as part of the evaluation of Question 9.

If your business were to receive funding from Innovative Solutions Canada, describe what actions (e.g., recruitment strategy, internships, co-op placements, etc.) might be taken in Phase 1 to support the participation of under-represented groups (e.g., women, youth, persons with disabilities, Indigenous people, visible minorities) in the research and development of the proposed solution. Each bidder/applicant in their response to this question must focus only on describing relevant programs, policies, or initiatives that it currently has in place or would put in place to support the R&D effort in Phase 1. Do not provide any personal information of individuals employed by your company or that of your subcontractors in the response below.

 (maximum 1000 characters)

Demonstrate a realistic financial proposal for the Phase 1 project plan by completing the table below.
Note: The maximum funding available to an eligible small business for Phase 1 is identified in the challenge notice.

All costs must be in accordance with Contract Cost Principles 103 1-2: https://buyandsell.gc.ca/policy-and-guidelines/standard-acquisition-clauses-and-conditions-manual/3/1031-2/6 as amended in the Call for Proposals.
All labour rates must reflect all-inclusive firm rates (e.g. firm hourly rate, inclusive of overhead and profit).

The Phase 1 financial proposal must be in accordance with project cost information for an ISC grant as identified in the Grant Instructions and Procedures (Call 03) document, Part 3 – Phase 1 Proposal Instructions.

* No advance payments will be made to successful bidders for any contract.

Describe the financial controls and oversight that will be used to manage public funds throughout Phase 1. (maximum 2,000 characters):

Describe a realistic strategy for the prototype development of selected two participated Phase 2. Responses should include:

• anticipated barriers
• key tasks
• estimated costs

(maximum 2,500 characters):

Note: A more detailed proposal will be requested if selected to participate in Phase 2

Describe your overall commercialization approach for the proposed solution.
Responses should include:

• Target markets (excluding Government of Canada)
• Non-ISC funding sources
• Transition to a commercially-ready product or service
• Any other indicators of commercial potential and commercial feasibility

(maximum 3,000 characters):

Describe the benefits that could result from the successful development of your solution. Applicant/Bidders are asked to consider the potential benefits using the following three categories: Innovation Benefits, Economic Benefits, Public Benefits.

• Innovation Benefits: Expected contribution towards the enhancement or development of new industrial or technological innovation within your firm. Assessment factors could include: potential spillover benefits, creation of intellectual property, impact on productivity of the new technology, etc. (maximum 1,000 characters):

• Economic Benefits: Forecasted impact on the growth of your firm but other firms in Canada more broadly. This could include the development of new clusters and supply chains. Assessment factors could include the number of jobs created, number of high-paying jobs, project-related revenue growth, etc. (maximum 1,000 characters):

• Public Benefits: Expected contribution to the broader Canadian public, including inclusive business and hiring practices (e.g., gender balance), investment in skills and training and environmental best practices. Assessment would consider the degree to which the Applicant/Bidder demonstrates that the solution is expected to generate social, environmental, health, security or other benefits to Canada. Assessment factors could include: solution-related environmental benefits, investment in local communities and solution related-impact on indigenous communities. (maximum 1,000 characters):

Grant Challenges:

• The Applicant certifies that any person, who is required to be registered pursuant to the Lobbying Act including consultant and in-house lobbyists, is registered pursuant to that Act.
• The Applicant confirms that any former public officer holder or public servant employed by the Applicant is in compliance with the provisions of the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service, the Policy on Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment and the Conflict of Interest Act.
• The Applicant understands that the program reserves the right to make partial awards and to negotiate project scope changes with the Applicant.
• The Applicant certifies that the proposed innovation contained in this application is not available in the marketplace, and has not been previously sold on a commercial basis.
• The Applicant certifies that the Applicant has not nor has any person on its behalf engaged any person (other than an employee) for the purposes of obtaining ISC funding and paid, or agreed to pay, that person a commission, contingency or success fee or any other consideration (whether monetary or otherwise) that is dependent upon the Applicant receiving ISC funding.
• The Applicant certifies that any former public office holder, that derives a direct benefit from an ISC grant, will be in compliance with the Conflict of Interest Act and Post-Employment Code for Public Office Holders.
• The Applicant certifies that no Member of the House of Commons or Senate will benefit from an ISC grant.
• The Applicant certifies it has read, and it understands and acknowledges the instructions and the terms and conditions contained in the Grant Instructions and Procedures (Call 03) and any amendments on the ISC website.

Contract Challenges:

• The Bidder understands that the maximum contract value for a potential Phase 1 contract awarded under the Call for Proposal is identified in the challenge notice.
• The Bidder certifies that they have not attempted to sell the solution proposed in this Form on a commercial basis in the marketplace.
• The Bidder certifies it has read, and it understands and acknowledges the instructions and the terms and conditions contained in all parts of the Call for Proposals solicitation number EN578-170003/C and any amendments on the Buy and Sell website.
• The Bidder certifies that 80% of the financial proposal costs are Canadian goods or Canadian services, as defined in the Canadian Content certification. Refer to the Call for Proposals solicitation document.
• The Bidder certifies that they will perform at least two-thirds of the research and development (R&D) work in Phase 1. The remaining R&D can be sub-contracted to other organizations or individuals.

You are about to submit your proposal. By proceeding to do so, you certify that you have the authority to submit this information on behalf of the Applicant/Bidder, and that you have approval of the organizations listed in Section 1 to include their information. You also certify that you and the organizations that support this application understand that no funding will be disbursed based on the Application Process. See the Program and Applicant Guides for more information on the funding application process. Once your application has been received, the Applicant/Bidder will receive a confirmation email / letter and a file number for further reference. Please ensure that the contact information has been correctly included on this application.

To submit an application:

• Important: Please be advised that an active Internet connection is required to submit your application.
• Use the "Submit" button when your form is complete in order to upload your application.
  You may also visit http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/101.nsf/eng/home
• Once the application has been submitted, it is presumed that the application is final, and the Applicant/Bidder will no longer be able to make changes to the application.
• All applications will be screened initially for eligibility criteria. Late application(s) will not be assessed.