ISTPCanada FAQs
What does the ISTP in ISTPCanada stand for?
Answer: The ISTPCanada is a short form of the legal incorporated name of the company which is International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada Inc.
What is the relationship of CIIRDF and Precarn Incorproated with ISTPCanada?
Answer: The principals at the Canada-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation (CIIRDF) and Precarn collaborated in a proposal to create ISTPCanada in response to a request for proposal posted by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). While ISTPCanada is a distinct and separate entity from both CIIRDF and Precarn, working partnerships have been established with both by ISTPCanada.
What is the relationship between ISTPCanada and the ISTPP program at DFAIT?
Answer: The ISTPP (International Science and Technology Partnerships Program) was established by the Government of Canada to provide support for the development of international research partnerships with, initially, China and India, followed by Brazil in 2008/2009. ISTPCanada is the non-profit company that has been selected to implement the ISTPP.
For more information, please contact:
Tomoko Nishino
Executive Assistant/Project Coordinator
Telephone: 613-729-3069 x227
tomokonishino@istpcanada.ca
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China FAQs - Calls for Proposals
1) Do we have to describe Chinese research tasks in detail in the full proposal?
Answer: Yes, we need a full and holistic description of the entire project, including the Chinese tasks, in order to establish the validity and scientific merits of the project, as well as identify the participations from each side and their roles in the collaborative project.
2) Do we have to attach a copy of the full proposal that was submitted by our Chinese partner to Ministry of Science and Technology in China (MOST)?
Answer: Yes.
3) Do we have to translate into English the budget sheet for Chinese partners from their proposal to MOST and attach it to our full proposal?
Answer: Yes. As indicated in the Application Guidelines, please attach the Chinese budget (translated into English) after the Canadian budget in the full proposal.
4) Who should sign our full proposal?
Answer: It should be signed by the lead applicant and, where applicable, the person in the same organization who has the authority to approve a project in the organization and who could officially bind the organization to a contract.
5) How could we show the commitment of our partners to the project, by MOU or Letter of Support (LoS)?
Answer: The participation and support of all parties to the project should be clearly explained and demonstrated in the project description and budget. Applicants are encouraged to complement this by MOU or LoS.
6) Is there a fixed or recommended ratio of in-kind vs. cash contribution?
Answer: None. As long as in-kind contributions are reasonable, for the project, and auditable.
7) Are in-kind contributions (mainly salary) acceptable as matching funds from all participants?
Answer: Yes in general, but not if the participants are from Crown agencies, government labs or departments (please refer to the next question 8). If you are in doubt, please discuss with us when you are preparing the budget.
8) If a crown agency, government lab or government department provides a service to a company which has received funding from ISTPCanada, can they be compensated for that service?
Answer: ISTPCanada funding cannot be funneled to crown agencies or organizations of similar nature in any manner. They can provide services and be paid by the company, however, that expenditure would not be considered an eligible expense for calculating the ISTPCanada contribution to the project. The company should list such expenditures for calculation of “total project costs” as they would be included in any comparison of total Canadian contribution against Chinese partners’ contribution.
9) Can a private sector company contract some of the research within a project to a university?
Answer: They can contract discreet parts of the project to universities, but not the entire project. For any significant involvement in the project, it would be preferable to have the university join the project as a participant. Everything else being equal, a proposal with private sector companies and universities as research partners will be viewed more favorably than proposals in which the university does only contract research work for the private sector company.
10) What are ‘eligible’ Canadian R&D expenses?
Answer: The following is ISTPCanada’s operational definition. Anything outside this definition would be considered on a case-by-case basis:
With respect to providing funding to the ultimate recipient for projects, the contribution will be up to 50% of the eligible Canadian costs for the R&D portion of an approved joint research project.
Eligible research and development costs are as defined by Revenue Canada (i.e. incremental direct costs of personnel, research consumables, some travel and capital costs if the equipment is essential to the project and has no other uses). Eligible costs include labour, material and other costs which are directly attributable to the project. Overhead expenses such as indirect labour, materials and supplies, and general and administrative expenses are also eligible provided these overhead expenses are not more than 30% of the eligible costs. Specialized equipment for the project may be eligible as well.
Corporate overhead costs and financial charges are not funded nor are the support costs associated with land and buildings.
In projects involving commercial entities, at least 30 percent of the total research and development expenditures for a project must be in either Canada or in the Partner Country. Where universities/colleges and other private sector research and development institutes are involved, 100% of their R&D expenditures must be in either Canada or the Partner Country.
No costs will be considered eligible if they are incurred prior to the date which the Institution accepts and confirms that the project proposal is complete.
11) Can new and specific software developed and provided by an industry partner to the project be counted as in-kind contribution?
Answer: If the software was developed and commercially available at the time of the submission of the proposal, it may be allowable in whole or in-part as a contribution-in-kind to the project. The value of the software may be pro-rated depending on the deemed life and use of the software outside the project. Software not available commercially has no value as an in-kind contribution. Further, in general: i) development costs are not permitted as a valuation method; ii) if the value of the contribution is difficult or impossible to determine or if the participant does not provide adequate documentation, the contribution will be deemed ineligible; and, iii) ISTPCanada has the right to disallow in whole or in part any in-kind contribution.
12) Is University funding counted as government or private source of funding?
Answer: The university will have to disclose the sources of this funding. Some may be from government, some may be from private donations or other university income streams. The same principle is applicable to all funding sources of the industrial partner(s).
13) Will ISTPCanada funding be transferred only to the lead applicant which will then re-distribute that funding to other Canadian participants as per the project budget?
Answer: Yes.
14) Does ISTPCanada have rules about how the ISTPCanada funding should be shared among the Canadian participants? For example, is there an expectation for the participants to share the ISTPCanada funding or can all the ISTPCanada funding go to one participant?
Answer: See the response to question 13 above. The Canadian project team must submit ONE budget for EACH participating organization in the team and describe the source(s) of funding, including the amount expected from ISTPCanada. But we do not specify how ISTPCanada funding is to be distributed within Canadian team.
15) Does ISTPCanada expect to get a copy of the IP agreement among the partners? Should the agreement be signed before submission of the full proposal or only after the funding has been confirmed?
Answer: In the full proposal, applicants should show that they have reached an agreement on how the IP will be managed/shared. We understand the signing of IP agreement may take some time, thus it is not mandatory at Full Proposal submission but will be required before funding will be confirmed.
16) Is there a limit on the length of the full proposal?
Answer: we have not stipulated a limit but in general, we expect no more than 20 pages of reasonable line spacing and font size. We would wish to see the project clearly explained in a concise and precise manner.
17) Is there a limit on the length of CVs?
Answer: CVs should be prepared in a concise and precise manner and attached as an appendix to the proposal. But inside the proposal body, in Section 8 of the Application Guidelines, we request a description of the participants and the project personnel in order to establish the "capability of the participants to manage and conduct the project, including commercialization thus leading to clear benefits to both countries". In general, we need to see that the experience, education and capabilities of the professional staff are commensurate with the R&D tasks to be performed.
The list of publications should be limited to one page of reasonable line spacing and font size.
How do I find out more about ISTPCanada activities for China?
For more informaiton on the activities of ISTPCanada with regards to Chind please contact:
Stacy Chew
Country Manager for China
Telephone: 613-729-3069 x223
stacychew@istpcanada.ca
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India FAQs - Calls for Proposals
1) Do we have to describe both India and Canada research and development tasks in detail in the full proposal?
Answer: This is a joint proposal between the Canadian and Indian partners. Yes, we need a full and holistic description of the entire project, including the R&D done both in India and Canada. You should provide all the necessary information in order for reviewers to establish the scientific merits and potential for commercialization of the project results. This includes clear role and responsibilities of each participant in the project.
2) Is there a limit on the length of the full proposal?
Answer:We have not stipulated a limit but in general, we expect no more than 20 pages of reasonable line spacing and font size. We would wish to see the project clearly explained in a concise and precise manner.
3) Who should sign the full proposal?
Answer: It should be signed by the lead applicant from Canada and India and where applicable, the person in the lead participants organization who has the authority to approve a project in the organization and who could officially bind the organization to a contract. You are welcome to exchange the electronic signatures as long as the proposal submitted to both ISTPCanada and GITA has proper signatures.
4) How could we show the commitment of our partners to the project - MOU or Letter of Support (LoS)?
Answer: The participation and support of all parties to the project should be clearly explained and demonstrated in the project description and budget. Applicants are encouraged to complement this by MOU or LoS.
5) Is there a fixed or recommended ratio of in-kind vs. cash contribution?
Answer: None, as long as in-kind contributions are reasonable, for the project, and auditable.
6) Are in-kind contributions (mainly salary) acceptable as matching funds from all participants?
Answer: Yes in general but if you are in doubt, please discuss with us when you are preparing the budget.
In Canada the participants from Crown agencies, government labs or departments cannot leverage their in-kind contribution against ISTPCanada funds.
7) If a crown agency, government lab or government department provides a service to a company which has received funding from ISTPCanada, can they be compensated for that service with the funds provided by ISTPCanada?
Answer: ISTPCanada funding cannot be funneled to crown agencies or organizations of similar nature in any manner. They can provide services and be paid by the company; however, that expenditure would not be considered an eligible expense for calculating the ISTPCanada contribution to the project. The company should list such expenditures for calculation of “total project costs” as they would be included in any comparison of total Canadian contribution against Indian partners’ contribution.
8) Can a private sector company contract some of the research within a project to a university?
Answer: They can contract discreet parts of the project to universities, but not the entire project. For any significant involvement in the project, it would be preferable to have the university join the project as a participant. Everything else being equal, a proposal with private sector companies and universities as research partners will be viewed more favorably than proposals in which the university does only contract research work for the private sector company.
Also note that the ISTPCanada funds to the company are given as loan repayable only on the commercial success of the project where as the funds provided to the academia is given as a grant.
9) What are ‘eligible’ Canadian R&D expenses?
Answer: The following is ISTPCanada’s operational definition. Anything outside this definition would be considered on a case-by-case basis:
With respect to providing funding to the ultimate recipient for projects, the contribution will be up to 50% of the eligible Canadian costs for the R&D portion of an approved joint research project.
Eligible research and development costs are as defined by Revenue Canada (i.e. incremental direct costs of personnel, research consumables, some travel and capital costs if the equipment is essential to the project and has no other uses). Eligible costs include labour, material and other costs which are directly attributable to the project. Overhead expenses such as indirect labour, materials and supplies, and general and administrative expenses are also eligible provided these overhead expenses are not more than 30% of the eligible costs. Specialized equipment for the project may be eligible as well.
Corporate overhead costs and financial charges are not funded nor are the support costs associated with land and buildings.
In projects involving commercial entities, at least 30 percent of the total research and development expenditures for a project must be in either Canada or in the Partner Country. Where universities/colleges and other private sector research and development institutes are involved, 100% of their R&D expenditures must be in either Canada or the Partner Country.
No costs will be considered eligible if they are incurred prior to the date which the Institution accepts and confirms that the project proposal is complete.
10) Can new and specific software developed and provided by an industry partner to the project be counted as in-kind contribution?
Answer: If the software was developed and commercially available at the time of the submission of the proposal, it may be allowable in whole or in-part an in-kind contribution to the project. The value of the software may be pro-rated depending on the deemed life and use of the software outside the project. Software not available commercially has no value as an in-kind contribution. Further, in general: i) development costs are not permitted as a valuation method; ii) if the value of the contribution is difficult or impossible to determine or if the participant does not provide adequate documentation, the contribution will be deemed ineligible; and, iii) ISTPCanada has the right to disallow in whole or in part any in-kind contribution.
11) Is University funding counted as government or private source of funding?
Answer: The University will have to disclose the sources of this funding. Some may be from government; some may be from private donations or other university income streams. The same principle is applicable to all funding sources of the industrial partner(s).
12) Will ISTPCanada funding be transferred only to the lead applicant who will then re-distribute that funding to other Canadian participants as per the project budget?
Answer: In a project where there are both Industry and Academia partners. The funds will be provided separately to Industry lead participants and academia lead participants as the funding to academia is a grant and a funding to industry is a soft loan. In a project where there are only industry partners. The funding will be transferred to industry lead participant for further distribution to other partners.
13) Does ISTPCanada have rules about how the ISTPCanada funding should be shared among the Canadian participants? For example, is there an expectation for the participants to share the ISTPCanada funding or can all the ISTPCanada funding go to one participant?
Answer: See the response to question 12 above. The Canadian project team must submit ONE budget for EACH participating organization in the team and describe the source(s) of funding, including the amount expected from ISTPCanada. But we do not specify how ISTPCanada funding is to be distributed within Canadian team.
14) Does ISTPCanada expect to get a copy of the IP agreement among the partners? Should the agreement be signed before submission of the full proposal or only after the funding has been confirmed?
Answer: In the full proposal, applicants should show that they have reached an agreement on how the IP will be managed. We understand the signing of IP agreement may take some time, thus it is not mandatory at Full Proposal submission. The successful applicants will be required to provide a full IP agreement at the time of contribution agreement approval and signatures.
15) Is there a limit on the length of CVs?
Answer: CVs should be prepared in a concise and precise manner and attached as an appendix to the proposal. But inside the proposal body, in Section 8 of the Application Guidelines, we request a description of the participants and the project personnel in order to establish the "capability of the participants to manage and conduct the project, including commercialization thus leading to clear benefits to both countries". In general, we need to see that the experience, education and capabilities of the professional staff are commensurate with the R&D tasks to be performed. The list of publications should be limited to one page of reasonable line spacing and font size.
How do I find out more about ISTPCanada activities for India?
For more informaiton on the activities of ISTPCanada with regards to India please contact:
Bharat Rudra
Country Manager for India & Brazil
Telephone: 613-729-3069 x224
bharatrudra@istpcanada.ca
Tuhin Das
Program Assistant
Telephone: 613-729-3069 x225
tuhindas@istpcanada.ca
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