SynergiQC

Through the SynergiQc program, CQDM aims to promote industrial-scale biopharmaceutical research conducted in collaboration with public research centres, which will bring positive economic benefits to Quebec.

SynergiQc enables a broad and varied network of businesses that work in life sciences (pharmaceutical businesses, biotechnology companies, contract research organizations, etc.) to participate, as a group or exclusively, to undertake R&D projects that meet their specific needs.

This biopharmaceutical research program, with an industrial scope, is specifically designed to:

• strengthen business technological innovation capability in Quebec through public research;
• increase the number of research collaborations and partnerships between universities, hospitals, schools, public laboratories, and businesses working within the life sciences ecosystem in Quebec;
• enable technological maturation and industrial value creation to bring about economic benefits for project stakeholders and for Quebec;
• contribute to the development of knowledge, know-how, and new technologies developed in public institutions, as well as their transfer to industry.

Candidates eligible to receive funding:

All researchers working in a public research institution in Quebec (University and hospital affiliates, research institutes, College Technology Transfer Center [CCTT], public research centres) who are working closely with at least one eligible business in Quebec.

Eligible projects:

• R&D projects with an industrial scope that are applicable to life sciences, including clinical trials, undertaken in partnership with one or several eligible businesses;
• The level of “NMT” technology maturation should be between 1 and 6 – see the NMT Guide here;
• Socio-economic benefits must be generated for Quebec and private partners participating in the project;
• Students (all levels, including post-doctorate) must take part in the project.

Duration

Maximum 3 years

Budget

• Maximum budget: $1.25 M*/year ($3.75 M over 3 years) for projects involving at least one eligible SME in Quebec; $2.5 M*/year ($7.5 M* over 3 years) for projects involving just one or several eligible large businesses in Quebec

*Including management fees and indirect research fees associated with the project

Financial aid

Project involving at least one eligible small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) in Quebec

Financial aid from CQDM may represent up to a maximum of 40% of the project’s eligible expenses (or up to $1.5 M over 3 years), subject to the following eligibility criteria:

• To ensure eligibility, an SME must:
  • Provide a significant contribution to the project;
  • Have a place of business in Quebec, be legally incorporated under current federal or Quebecois laws and be registered in the Quebec Enterprise Register;
  • Conduct R&D or production activities in Quebec;
  • Have 249 employees or less.
• At least one partner business (including the eligible SME) must contribute to funding the research project, in cash, for a minimum of 20% of eligible expenses. Contributions in-kind are not eligible in the matching calculation;
• One or several large businesses can also take part and contribute to the project without affecting funding rules, as long as the eligible SME provides a cash contribution representing a minimum of 4% of eligible expenses.
• Up to 40% of the funding required may come from other sources, including Canadian and International businesses, foundations, or non-MEIE governmental contributions such as federal grants offered by Mitacs.
• CQDM’s total contribution cannot exceed $500,000 per year.

Projects involving an eligible large enterprise (LE) in Quebec (without the participation of an eligible SME):

Financial aid from CQDM may represent up to a maximum of 20% of the project’s eligible expenses (or up to $1.5 M over 3 years), subject to the following eligibility criteria;

• To ensure eligibility, an LE must:
  • Provide a significant contribution to the project;
  • Have a place of business in Quebec, be legally incorporated under current federal or Quebecois laws and be registered in the Quebec Enterprise Register;
  • Conduct R&D or production activities in Quebec;
  • Have 250 employees or more.
• At least one partner LE must contribute to funding the research project, in cash, for a minimum of 40% of eligible expenses. Contributions in-kind may account for up to 50% of the industrial partners’ contribution;
• Up to 40% of the funding required may come from other sources, including Canadian and International businesses, foundations, or non-MEIE governmental contributions such as federal grants offered by Mitacs.

Table 1. Summary of potential funding arrangements

Characteristics	Collaborative project with an SME	Collaborative projects working with large business only
Required business partners	At least one eligible SME in Quebec	At least one eligible last business in Quebec
Maximum budget	$3.75 M	$7.5 M
Maximum contribution from CQDM	40% of eligible expenses/$1.5 M over 3 years	20% of eligible expenses/$1.5 M over 3 years
Contribution from partner businesses	20-60% of eligible expenses, in cash	40-80% of eligible expenses. Contributions in-kind accounting for up to 50% of the business partners’ contribution are eligible
Other counterpart funding	Up to 40%. Eligible sources include Canadian and international companies, foundations and non-MEIE governmental contributions.	Up to 40%. Eligible sources include Canadian and international companies, foundations and non-MEIE governmental contributions.

*The financial arrangement also includes indirect research fees (IRF): a fixed rate of 27% of IRF will be applied to the contribution made by the ministry of Economy, Science, Innovation and Energy (MEIE) for eligible expenses. FIRs – Regional Development Funds – (salaries and social benefits, student grants, equipment and supplies, purchase or rental of facilities, and travel and accommodation fees) are excluded from the calculation of participant contribution ratios detailed in Table 1. Mitacs grants are not expenses that are subject to FIR. 

Eligible expenses incurred by Quebec research institutions include:

• Fellowships, wages and fringe benefits for research personnel assigned to the project (technicians, research assistants and associates, postdoctoral fellows, and students).
• Laboratory equipment, consumables and supplies, as well as animal housing and platform fees.
• Travel expenses (travel related to the project, collaborations, conferences) and knowledge dissemination costs.
• Intellectual property costs (patent applications, patent maintenance fees for the duration of the project).
• The rental or purchase of small equipment of a maximum value of $25,000 and necessary for the realization of the project.
• Some subcontracting expenses to Quebec companies that are not partners in the project can be authorized when the activity is essential to the project and cannot be performed by the research institution.

Non-eligible costs:

• In-kind expenses by partner companies are eligible only in the case of projects involving only large Quebec companies.
• Lease (or purchase) of facilities and purchase of equipment valued over $25,000
• Salary of the principal investigator (PI) and co-investigators from universities and their affiliated research centers.

Application process of the Quebec Funding Program for Biopharmaceutical Research

Call for proposals are open every three months.

Please note that you must notify us no later than 7 days prior to the deadline of your intention to submit a proposal in order to allow for proper evaluation of the projects.

 Application process:

1. Contact Mathieu Paquette, Director – Business Development, to validate the eligibility of your project and obtain the application form and the SynergiQc budget template at the following address: mpaquette@cqdm.org
2. Submit a half-page non-confidential scientific summary (including the project title, the PI’s name and affiliations, the project’s total budget, the private partners involved as well as the amounts of their respective contribution) to the following address no later than 1 week before the application deadline: appliquez-apply@cqdm.org
3. Obtain letters of support from corporate partners and include them as an appendix to the application
4. Send the completed application to appliquez-apply@cqdm.org

• Scientific merit and feasibility of the project
• Commercialization plan
• Differentiation, competitiveness, and added value of the proposed technology
• Quality of the collaboration/team
• Benefits for the private partners
• Socio-economical benefits for the province of Quebec

The key evaluation steps are:

• An independent scientific evaluation based on the evaluation criteria listed above;
• A review of non-scientific aspects of the project, including the level of commitment of the companies, the added value of the collaboration and the specific risks inherent to the project;
• The overall evaluation of the project by CQDM’s scientific advisory committee, which is responsible for making funding recommendations;
• Approval of the project by CQDM’s Board of Directors.
• Approval of funding by the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie (MEIE)

• Research institutions that will be awarded a research grant from CQDM as well as industrial partners must commit to sign a research agreement within 3 months following the receipt of CQDM’s approval letter;
• CQDM will provide the template of the research agreement which will define very precisely the milestones to be reached, the timeline (Gantt chart) and the deliverables at the end of the project;
• An intellectual property agreement in which CQDM is not involved will also have to be signed by all the research institutions and industrial partners associated with the project and then attached to the research agreement.