Strategic Opportunities Program (SOP)

The Next Generation of Jobs Fund (NGOJF) is the cornerstone of the government’s economic development strategy to stimulate economic growth and create a sustainable and globally competitive workplace for the next generation of workers.

NGOJF is a five-year $1.15 billion discretionary, non-entitlement program to support job creation or retention in strategic areas of great potential for Ontario.  The NGOJF program will:

• Create and sustain jobs for Ontarians
• Leverage private sector investment in Ontario
• Improve competitiveness of Ontario businesses
• Foster innovation
• Support Ontario’s Go Green plan.

The NGOJF has three program streams:

• Jobs and Investment Program (JIP)
• Biopharmaceutical Investment Program (BIP)
• Strategic Opportunities Program (SOP)

The Jobs and Investment and Biopharmaceutical Investment Program streams of the NGOJF focus on single company investment projects.

The SOP is focused on industry-led, multi-stakeholder collaborations, which are implementing a strategy to secure or maintain global leadership in a strategic opportunity, and the investments will result in substantial job creation.

Individual companies wishing to participate in the NGoJF program should apply to JIP or BIP.

An opportunity where Ontario has:

• Large-scale market opportunity, with a unique strategy to deal with competition
• Niche market opportunity with little competition
• Demonstrated Ontario’s competitive advantage such as research strength, strong private sector strengths, and market advantage
• Demonstrated economic, environmental and/ or health benefits

To create and retain high value jobs in the innovation economy by working with Ontario industry to make strategic entries or expand their presence into global markets in areas where science, research and technology development are critical competitive factors. 

To achieve this, the SOP will be assisting Ontario-based companies, research organizations, researchers and organizations in development of both platform and niche technologies in the identified “strategic opportunities”.

These goals will be accomplished by making investments that:

• Align existing and future public and private investments with specific opportunities where Ontario can achieve global competitive leadership;
• Build strong industry-led collaborations that may involve companies, researchers, universities and not-for-profit organizations in Ontario on national and international levels;
• Turn leading-edge Ontario research and innovation into technologies, products and services that will achieve long-term global market success and create jobs in Ontario; and
• Become a “magnet” to attract world-class research talent and investors eager to invest in Ontario research and innovation, fast growing companies, technologies and products.

An industry-led consortium is a number of companies and other partners that is not-for-profit, building capacity in a sector to raise the bar in a global market for the mid to long term

Foreign partners are eligible to be a part of the consortium but must have a subsidiary based in Ontario.

No. However, creation of a new not-for-profit corporation is the most preferred form of governance of a consortium. For SOP, the vehicle used can be a newly incorporated not-for-profit or an existing corporation. MRI will consider alternative forms of governance provided that the industry contribution is larger than 30%.

The industry-led consortium must be incorporated in Canada to be eligible for the SOP.

Over 5 years, consortium must show clear and tangible path to 100 jobs (through one or many projects). These jobs must be high-value/ knowledge based jobs that would continue long after project completion.

Eligible reimbursement costs are those incurred and paid after the date that a proposal is received, as determined by Ontario.

Eligible costs are actual cash outlays/ expenses (not in-kind contributions) that must be documented through invoices or receipts acceptable to the Ministry and are subject to verification by an independent auditor.   Evidence of payment must be maintained for audit purposes. 

In-kind contributions, such as the donations of space, land, buildings, equipment, and research assets will be allowed, where the fair market value can be readily established.

The Ministry’s decisions as to the expenditure eligibility and valuation shall be final and determinative.

The SOP is designed to make investments that make Ontario a global investment leader in one of the three focus areas.

The SOP will invest where there is defined strategic opportunities in one of these focus areas. The consortium must create a strategy to exploit this strategic opportunity and create a proposal around this strategy. MRI will then fund this proposal if it clearly shows an area of potential strength and global leadership for Ontario.

Each strategic opportunity will be evaluated on the following eligibility criteria:

• Strategic Market Opportunities
• World Market Demand
• Global Competitive Advantages
• Science, Research and Technology
• Infrastructure
• Critical Gaps
• Benefits, such as Economic, Environmental and Health

If the strategic opportunity is deemed a potential strength for Ontario, the consortium is required to submit a proposal, which will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Program/Project Strategy
• Global Leadership
• Capturing the Market Opportunity
• Program/Project Leadership
• Collaboration and Partnerships
• Infrastructure
• Talent
• Benefits, such as Economic, Environmental and Health

Every project must:

• Address a clear market potential
• Demonstrate substantial commercial and economic benefits
• Show a clear pathway to the creation or retention of a minimum 100 jobs.

MRI encourages consortia wishing to submit proposals with strategic opportunities not identified to consult with MRI before proceeding with their submission.

The Ministry will review and make a decision on proposals to the SOP within 45 Calendar days of receiving a complete proposal. Within these 45 calendar days, the Ministry will notify the proponent within 2 business days if the proposal is accepted and all of the information required has been furnished. The Ministry will proceed to review the proposal, including analysis and expert review of the strategic opportunity and the proposed project or program. If, during the review process, the need for additional information is identified, the applicant will be notified. If the information is not provided within 24 hours, the 45 day count will stop and be restarted when the information is received.

Yes, initially the SOP will concentrate on strategic opportunities in the following three areas:

1. The bio-economy and clean technology
2. Advanced health technologies
3. Digital media and information and communications technologies

MRI may also consider other strategic opportunities in focus areas not identified and encourage consortia to contact the Ministry for additional details.

All potential applicants should contact MRI to discuss their strategic opportunity. If it is determined to be a fit within the SOP, the consortium will be required to submit their strategic opportunity and full proposal.

Proposals will be reviewed for completeness within 2 business days, at which time the consortium will be notified via e-mail that the proposal is complete.

Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by an Expert Panel, MRI staff and other ministries such as Ministries of Environment, Finance, Economic Development and Trade.

If conditionally approved, the consortium is required to submit a full business plan, followed by the negotiated terms of the funding agreement. Ontario has the sole discretion to approve funding and any decisions not to approve funding are final.

View the SOP Process.

The Ministry will review and make a decision on proposals to the SOP within 45 Calendar days of receiving a complete proposal.   Within these 45 calendar days, the Ministry will notify the proponent within 2 business days if the proposal is accepted and all of the information required has been furnished.  The Ministry will proceed to review the proposal, including analysis and expert review of the strategic opportunity and the proposed project or program.   If, during the review process, the need for additional information is identified, the applicant will be notified.  If the information is not provided within 24 hours, the 45 day count will stop and resume when the information is received.

Contact MRI to discuss your strategic opportunity to determine if it fits within SOP. Our email address is: strategicopportunities@ontario.ca

If your consortium already has a strategic opportunity and would like to participate in the program please complete and submit the SOP Inquiry Form and email the completed form to MRI at strategicopportunities@ontario.ca. A representative from the Ministry will contact you within 2 business days.

SOP is a discretionary non-entitlement program.  Even if a proposal meets all of the program’s objectives and criteria, the Government of Ontario is under no obligation to approve funding.

MRI will not take any IP ownership with respect to the SOP program, proposals or outcomes and will not require an ownership stake in any IP generated under the SOP.

Each entity will be required to have their IP policy developed prior to submission to the SOP.