Ontario Research Fund College-Industry Innovation Fund Program Guidelines

The Ontario Research Fund College-Industry Innovation Fund (ORF-CIIF) program enhances the capacity of Ontario’s colleges of applied arts and technology to support business innovation in Canada by providing them with state-of-the-art, industry-relevant research infrastructure to foster partnerships with the private sector in a specific area of institutional strategic priority.

The ORF will contribute a maximum of 40 percent towards the total eligible costs, and the research institution is responsible for obtaining at least 60 percent from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (through the College-Industry Innovation Fund), any private funding partners, or its own resources.

The ORF-CIIF will accept Letters of Intent and full applications for co-funding the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s College-Industry Innovation Fund Stream 1 and Stream 2.

The ORF program is a competitive, non-entitlement program.  ORF funding decisions will be based on excellence and strategic value to Ontario.  This will help to ensure alignment with the Ontario Innovation Agenda, and ensure that the province is extracting value from research investments.

The Ministry will only be conducting an Ontario strategic value review on ORF-CIIF Stream 1 full applications.

Eligible Applicants

Ontario institutions that are eligible to apply to the CFI College-Industry Innovation Fund are also eligible to apply to the Ontario Research Fund College-Industry Innovation Fund.

Eligible Infrastructure

This fund is intended to support significant research infrastructure made up of a single item or a collection of items.  

Eligible infrastructure items include equipment, scientific collections, computer software, information databases and communication linkages used, or to be used, primarily for carrying on research. An eligible infrastructure project involves the modernization, acquisition or development of applied research or technology development infrastructure. Minor construction or renovations essential for housing the ORF infrastructure are also deemed eligible.

The infrastructure must be used to carry out applied research and technology development activities with eligible partners. The infrastructure can be used for training purposes only in cases where the training is articulated around an applied research or technology development project aimed at business innovation.

MEDI-funded research infrastructure will represent a new capital asset and provide a new or improved applied research or technology development capability for the college.

To be considered eligible, in-kind contributions from external partners and cash expenditures by the institution must have taken place on or after the date provided in the CFI Calls for Proposals (e.g., April 1, 2011 for Competition 1 of Stream 1 and 2). Expenditures are considered incurred when goods are received, services have been rendered or work has been performed.

Final determination of an item's eligibility rests with the ORF, which may make eligibility subject to terms, conditions and limits as set out in the Grant Agreement.

Funding

The ORF will contribute a maximum of 40 percent toward the total eligible costs. The research institution is responsible for obtaining at least 60 percent from the CFI, any private funding partners, or its own resources.

Final determination of the level of provincial funding rests with the ORF.  If the project cost decreases after the dates of the MEDI award, then the ORF contribution will decrease accordingly.

Grants received from other Ontario government ministries or agencies cannot be used to match ORF funding.

Eligible Partner Contributions

Only contributions to the eligible costs of projects described above can be counted as partner contributions.

The one exception is a donation of real property, if it is deemed essential to the infrastructure project.

A specific partner contribution that has already been used to leverage or match funds for another capital project at the institution will not be recognized as an eligible matching contribution to an ORF-RI program.

In-Kind Contributions

In-kind contributions are defined as non-monetary resources that external partners provide to eligible projects.

Eligible in-kind contributions include the value of:

• capital items that eligible external partners donate to the institution, such as equipment and facilities;
• certain non-capital eligible costs needed to bring the infrastructure into service (eg., professional services and training); and,
• title to real property to be transferred to the institution (unless ownership has been transferred to the institution at the time the application is submitted).

The ORF retains the right to determine eligibility of any in-kind contribution. ORF may make eligibility subject to terms, conditions and limits.

Assessing the Value of In-Kind Contributions

The ORF policy for assessing and documenting the value of in-kind contributions will be addressed in the Grant Agreement. As a general rule, the ORF will adopt CFI's policy .

The ORF reserves the right to make the final determination of the eligibility and value of in-kind contributions, to disallow expenditures, and reduce the ORF award. To avoid a situation where in-kind contributions may later be deemed ineligible or incorrectly valued, institutions are advised to contact Ministry staff early in the process to confirm the eligibility and valuation of an in-kind contribution.

Intellectual Property

The ORF does not claim any ownership or rights to any IP resulting from ORF-RI funded projects.  Such rights are to be determined by the lead institution in accordance with its current IP policy.  In cases where a consortium of applicants exists, the policy, as dictated in the Inter-Institutional Agreement between the consortium members, will dictate the IP policy.

Applicants are expected to make mutually agreeable commercialization arrangements with their private sector partners, and to demonstrate how the economic benefits of the proposal extend beyond the private sector partners.

Information Sharing Between CFI and ORF

Before submitting an application to ORF, institutions must complete and submit a form "Release of Information by the Canada Foundation for Innovation to the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation", available from the Ministry (please contact kevin.dilamarter@ontario.ca to obtain this form). Institutions that have already submitted a form do not need to resubmit.
The release form ensures that institutions understand that:

• Applicants will be required to request that CFI release to the Ministry, on a confidential basis, all review material related to the project.
• The proposal review carried out by the CFI will be an important component of the ORF-CIIF assessment;
• It is necessary to streamline and harmonize the ongoing administration and monitoring of successful projects with the CFI;
• The CFI will release to ORF-CIIF, on a confidential basis, ongoing progress and financial information; and,
• Ministry staff may attend financial monitoring/audit visits, as well as site visits to review project progress and impact.

Sharing of information with the Ministry begins immediately.

Applications for ORF Colleges-Industry Innovation Funding

Eligible institutions requesting ORF-RI Colleges-Industry Innovation funding are required to submit one Notice of Intent to Submit an Application (NOI) per project and a full application.

The ORF-CIIF NOI form is available on the ORF website.  The NOI includes a one paragraph (500 words) project overview that will be posted on the ORF-RI website to help institutions and potential partners identify opportunities for meaningful collaboration.

The ORF-CIIF application form is available on the ORF website.

Competition 1 NOIs for Stream 1 and Stream 2 are due June 29, 2011 and full applications are due October 14, 2011 (Stream 1) and November 14, 2011 (Stream 2). See the timeline section below for relevant competition deadlines.

Submission of Applications

Eligible institutions may apply for ORF support for a specific proposal for Colleges-Industry Innovation Funds by submitting:

• a completed and signed ORF-CIIF application form, together with one photocopy and one electronic copy; and
• one paper and one electronic copy of the College-Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF) application to the CFI (including all supporting materials provided with that application (e.g., finance module,  CV, letters of support).

See the timeline section below for relevant competition deadlines.

Assessment Criteria and Review Process

Expert Review

Where possible, the Ministry will work with CFI to reduce duplication of efforts and administrative burdens on the institutions.  The peer review process to assess the scientific merits of proposals will be managed by CFI.  This will ensure that CFI and the province have a common reference point in evaluating the strategic value of proposals and sharing information on federal/provincial priorities.

Proposals will be evaluated in the context of the environment in which the college operates, including its available resources and opportunities, and the commitment of the college to undertake this initiative. Participation of private sector partners and contributions to business innovation is of primary importance.

CFI will establish expert review committees to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the proposals in relation to the expert review criteria (see CFI’s CIIF Stream 1 Call for Proposals ).  The expert review process for Stream 2 is a joint review by CFI and NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) (see CFI’s CIIF Stream 2 Call for Proposals ). The results from the Stream 1 and Stream 2 expert review processes will inform MEDI’s Ontario Strategic Value Review and funding decisions.

Ontario Strategic Value Review

The purpose of the fund is to support partnerships between colleges and a range of private sector partners involved in any area of economic activity.  The level of involvement of industrial partners is a key consideration when making funding decisions. Close collaboration between the college and private sector partners is considered essential to enabling business innovation. MEDI expects private sector partners to be actively engaged throughout the life of the research infrastructure project, including the application stage. The corresponding CFI Stream 1 application requires letters of support from private sector partners that demonstrate their tangible commitment to the project and anticipated benefits.  A copy of these letters is required as part of the ORF-CIIF submission.

In addition to partnerships between colleges and the private sector, participation from other sectors (e.g. public and non-profit), where appropriate, is encouraged as it broadens the impact of the proposal at the local, regional and national scale.

While proposals in all disciplines are eligible for funding, the Ministry particularly encourages projects from the following targeted areas of strength highlighted in the Government of Ontario’s Innovation Agenda – Seizing Global Opportunities:

• Bio-economy and clean technologies,
• Advanced health technologies; and
• Digital media and information & communications technologies.

The Ministry recognizes the importance of extracting value from research investments and in stimulating sector and cluster productivity that will help Ontario communities innovate and compete nationally and internationally. These concepts are key to the Ontario Innovation Agenda.

To that end, the Ministry will evaluate ORF-CIIF Stream 1 full applications and corresponding CFI applications based on the following strategic value criteria, to the degree appropriate given the size, complexity and nature of the project:

• Projects must assist communities to become better at absorbing innovation, by providing solutions for an industry sector or cluster and by enhancing the skill set of college graduates.  Improvements in sector productivity will support the growth of strong regional economies in Ontario and assist communities to innovate and compete nationally and internationally.
• The project advances Ontario’s strengths in bioeconomy and clean technologies, advanced health technologies or digital media and information & communications technologies.
• The degree to which the project is likely to strengthen Ontario’s economy by:
  • building college capacity to enhance business-led innovation and productivity;
  • engaging private sector partners, focusing on market and client needs;
  • leading to increased investments, job creation, new products and services; and,
  • increasing existing R&D or industrial strength. 
• Projects must demonstrate a clear technology transfer and commercialization implementation plan, which includes evidence of commercialization potential, a market analysis, licensing agreements and strategic alliances and partnerships. 
• The degree to which the proposed research or technology development is likely to lead to benefits to society, health, the environment, quality of life, community building or public policy.

The Ministry will establish a strategic review committee to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the full applications in relation to the strategic value review criteria.

The Ontario strategic review will use appropriate peer reviewers consisting of industry participants, including SMEs, with direct production and commercialization experience as well as college researchers with hands-on industry experience to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the proposals in relation to the strategic value review criteria. The final composition and number of committees will depend on the applications received.

The strategic review committee will make recommendations to the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) Advisory Board on the strategic value of the Stream 1 full applications. The ORF Advisory Board will make recommendations to the Minister of Research and Innovation.  These recommendations will be shared with the CFI as provincial input into their Multidisciplinary assessment committee and will inform provincial funding decisions.

ORF Awards

Following the completion of the CFI adjudication process for Stream 1 and Stream 2, the ORF Advisory Board will make funding recommendations to the Minister of Research and Innovation. The final funding decision rests with the Minister of Research and Innovation.  The Minister may approve applications, approve subject to terms and conditions, or decline applications at his sole discretion.  ORF funding decisions are expected in April 2012.

Timelines

Stream 1

Date	Competition 1	Competition 2
Notice of Intent submitted	June 29, 2011	June 20, 2012
Posting of NOI list on Ministry website	July 2011	July 2012
Full applications submitted to MEDI	October 14, 2011	October 12, 2012
Strategic Review of Full Applications	November 2011	November 2012
Provincial Input to the CFI	December 2011	December 2012
ORF Advisory Board Meeting	March 2012	March 2013
MEDI funding decisions	April 2012	April 2013

Stream 2

Date	Competition 1	Competition 2
Notice of Intent submitted	June 29, 2011	December 12, 2011
Posting of NOI list on Ministry website	July 2011	January, 2012
Full applications submitted to MEDI	November 14, 2011	May 7, 2012
ORF Advisory Board Meeting	March 2012	November 2012
MEDI funding decisions	April 2012	January 2013

Award Agreements

Approved applicants will enter into a Grant Agreement with the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation. The Grant Agreement stipulates terms and conditions governing the payment of the ORF grant, including:

• project budget;
• project management;
• communications strategies monitoring and reporting requirements, including annual progress reporting, audits and financial reports;
• milestone and performance measures;
• mode and schedule of payments; and,
• contract termination.

Ownership and Control of Assets Funded by the ORF

Ownership and control of the assets acquired with the grant funds, including research equipment or buildings related to a funded ORF project, must remain with the institution for a period of five years after acquisition and installation in the case of equipment, or five years from the date of occupancy in the case of a building.

In the case of a project with a multi-institutional composition or consortium, the inter-institutional agreement should dictate the arrangements made with regard to the ownership, control and disposal of research equipment and other assets.

Research equipment and other assets must be located at an eligible research institution, unless it can be successfully shown that an alternate location provides the most effective placement of the equipment or other assets. Any change in location requires a notification to the ORF and may require the approval of the ORF.

Disbursement of Funds

Approved projects will be paid through a Request for Disbursement process.  The ORF-RI grant is subject to a 10% holdback, which will be disbursed after the final ORF review of the project’s impact, finances and fulfillment of project objectives.

Youth Science and Technology Outreach

The Ministry recognizes the importance of engaging young people in science and technology in growing a culture of innovation.  Where possible and appropriate, institutions are encouraged to open up facilities for youth outreach activities being undertaken by Ontario researchers through the Ministry’s research, talent development and outreach programs.

Communications

To ensure continuity, consistency and open communication between the applicant and the ORF-RI, the institution's project officer and the assigned ORF advisor will coordinate all project-related discussions.

Service Standard

The Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation is committed to making timely decisions on all Complete Applications once submitted. The Ministry will use its best efforts to notify Applicants of decision within three months from CFI’s approval of projects.

Program Contact

If you have questions about the ORF-CIIF program, please contact:
Kevin Dilamarter
Tel: 416-327-4842
Email: kevin.dilamarter@ontario.ca

Linked Documents

Ontario’s Innovation Agenda
Notice of Intent Form (DOC - 208KB)
Application Form (DOC - 239KB)
CFI Policy on Assessing the Value of Items Involving In-kind Contribution (see section 6.5)
Classification Codes for Research Disciplines (PDF - 15KB)
Classification Codes for Areas of Application (PDF - 16KB)
Notice of Intent Ontario Research Fund- College Industry Innovation Fund: Project Descriptions

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

The Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act . The information and documentation provided to the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation may be shared with members of the ORF Advisory Board, the Review Panels, expert reviewers and others for the purposes of administering the ORF program.

This program may be subject to change.
Grant disbursements are subject to the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation having an appropriation approved by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the fiscal year in which the disbursement is to be made.