Canadian clean technologies co-innovation mission to Japan - December 4-7, 2023

The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) and Global Affairs Canada are pleased to invite Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to submit an expression of interest to join in a partnering mission to Tokyo, Japan. This mission will take place from December 4 to 7, 2023, and is anchored around the Innovation Leaders Summit. The program will include pitch sessions and B2B meetings with selected top tier Japanese major corporations focused on clean technologies.

1. Mission objective

This partnering mission is focused on connecting Canadian SMEs to Japanese corporations looking to integrate clean technologies with the aim of forming collaborative research and development (R&D) partnerships that lead to co-innovation projects. Through this support, Canadian businesses will be better equipped to build their innovation capacity, successfully commercialize their technology and become more competitive in the global marketplace.

2. Key dates

Deadline to register: August 14, 2023
Deadline to submit expression of interest: August 21, 2023
Notification of results: September 5, 2023

3. Sector of focus

Clean technologies with focus on greenhouse gases (GHG) reduction, including:

• decarbonization: carbon capture, utilization and storage
• clean energy: solar, wind, hydro, hydrogen, fuel cells, batteries, electricity storage, Biomass, etc.
• efficiency: energy use optimization, sustainable mobility, smart grid, energy efficient equipment and appliances
• environmental protection: air and climate, soil, solid waste, water treatment, waste reduction and recycling materials

4. Canadian delegation profile

In order to participate in this initiative, Canadian participants should meet the following requirements:

• be an incorporated, profit‑oriented small or medium‑sized business in Canada
• have 500 or fewer full‑time equivalent employees
• pursue growth and profit by developing and commercializing innovative, technology-driven new or improved products, services or processes in Canada
• have a differentiated and protectable technology that could become competitive in global markets
• have sufficient working capital and resources to undertake a multi‑year R&D collaboration and commercialize the results
• be committed to significant growth through international market expansion

Preference may be given to SME applicants who:

• have a minimum of 10 full‑time equivalent employees
• have commercialized 1 or more products domestically or internationally
• have greater than $500,000 CAD in annual revenue.

Note: Canadian SME applicants must be eligible for funding as NRC IRAP clients before they can be considered for funding through this call for proposals. For more information on NRC IRAP eligibility and becoming an NRC IRAP client, please contact NRC IRAP at 1‑877‑994‑4727.

5. Innovation Leaders Summit

The main event at the annual Innovation Leaders Summit is Power Matching, a series of one-on-one innovation meetings between major Japanese companies and SMEs. Meetings will be pre-arranged based on online profiles that will be uploaded by SMEs.

The Innovation Leaders Summit was established in 2014 with major support from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. In December 2022 over 16,900 participants attended the event including representatives from more than 100 major corporations, more than 600 SMEs and boasted more than 2,800 B2B meetings.

Examples of major corporations who will attend the Innovation Leaders Summit include Panasonic, Nikon, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Toyota, Sumitomo, NTT, Fujitsu, and many more.

5.1 Preliminary mission agenda

Monday, December 4:

• preparatory session and pitch event at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan

Tuesday, December 5 to Thursday, December 7:

• participation in Innovation Leaders Summit
• site visits to Japanese organizations
• company pitches
• networking sessions
• B2B meetings

6. Financial support

Canadian SMEs selected by NRC IRAP for participation will be invited to apply for up to $3,000 for reimbursement of 75% of travel and accommodations costs associated with the mission. Selected participants will be sent instructions and information about this support.

Canadian SMEs that successfully develop a partnership with a major Japanese corporation may receive up to 50% reimbursement of eligible activity costs up to a maximum total NRC IRAP funding amount of $75,000.

7. Contact

For more information, contact the NRC IRAP International Office at IRAP.International.PARI@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca or Harvey Lam, NRC IRAP Japan National Program Coordinator at Harvey.Lam@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

8. How to apply

Interested Canadian applicants must register using the register button at the bottom of this page.

An Expression of Interest form will be provided to potentially eligible applicants. The expression of interest application form will request additional information about the applicant, organization, technology and co‑innovation opportunities of interest.

9. Registration

Canadian SME participants must be NRC IRAP clients. If not already an NRC IRAP client, Canadian SMEs must contact 1‑877‑994‑4727 to determine if they might be eligible for support through NRC IRAP.

To begin the application process, interested Canadian participants must first register online to receive an Expression of Interest form by clicking the register button.

If there is no register button visible below this line, it means that registration for this partnering mission has closed. Please contact the NRC IRAP International Office at IRAP.International.PARI@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca for more information.