All APC projects must be clearly driven by industry needs and must have active industrial participation during the development of the proposal and throughout the life of the project.

An eligible industrial partner for APC-funded activities can be from one of the following two categories:

A company already in the automotive supply chain (partially or totally).
A company trying to break into the automotive supply chain. When such a company is a partner on a project, a very strong case will have to be made concerning the impact the research would have on the automotive sector and the role this partner will play in realizing that impact.

Definition of “Automotive”

The APC definition of “automotive” includes cars, light trucks, heavy trucks, buses and recreational vehicles; i.e., any vehicle that is licensed for on-road driving. The definition does not include agricultural vehicles, military vehicles, tracked vehicles, off-road and rail vehicles.

Eligibility of International Industrial Partners

APC will be using the same criteria to define the eligibility of an international industrial partner as are found in NSERC’s Guidelines for Organizations Participating in Research Partnerships Programs:

In general, an industrial partner is defined as a Canadian-based business providing products or services which derives the majority of its revenues from the sale of these products and services and not from government aid. Such partners must be willing and able to exploit the research results for the economic benefit of Canada.
Multinationals may be eligible if they have commercial activities which take place in Canada, such as R&D, engineering or manufacturing related to the proposed research and if the funded activity will result in significant economic benefit to Canada.
Foreign firms may be eligible as a partner, provided an eligible Canadian-based industrial partner plays a major role in the project and will exploit the research results for the economic benefit of Canada.

Cash and In-Kind Contributions

APC is not a matching program. As such, there are no specific amounts of cash and/or in-kind contributions required from industrial partners for a given project. Instead, APC supports projects, driven by industrial needs, that require active and engaged industrial participation and collaboration, and where the interactions with the industrial partner(s) are “transformational.” It is expected, therefore, that in-kind contributions to a project on the part of the industrial partners will be significant and essential to the success of the research.

The above notwithstanding, when CFI funding is sought for research infrastructure, APC can only provide up to 40 percent of the total eligible costs. The remainder, through cash or eligible in-kind, must be provided by the institution(s) and/or eligible funding partners (industry, provincial governments and others).