CALL FOR CRITICAL AND STRATEGIC MINERAL PROJECTS (CSM)

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY APPLIED TO CRITICAL AND STRATEGIC MINERALS (CSM) VALUE CHAINS

OBJECTIVES

Unveiled in October 2020 by the Gouvernement du Québec, the Québec Plan for the Development of Critical and Strategic Minerals (QPDCSM) aims to promote the development and sustainability of CSM value chains by taking advantage of competitive advantages and Québec know-how, while contributing to government orientations for energy and technological transition, and this, in a perspective of sustainable development, social acceptability and wealth creation for the regions, including local and Indigenous communities.

To ensure the implementation of action 3.1.1 of the QPDCSM “Support the circular economy projects applied to the CSM sectors” under the responsibility of the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF) and the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie (MEIE), the Gouvernement du Québec decided to take advantage of PRIMA Québec’s expertise in this area.

Specific objectives of the program are as follows:

Increase innovation and knowledge acquisition on CSMs from mining extraction to production and processing of these minerals through recycling and reclamation of mine tailings;
Develop practical knowledge of interest for Québec CSM value chains development, particularly for the extraction, transformation and recycling of CSMs;
Develop mutually beneficial collaborations between the scientific community and the sectors of activity related to the value chains of CSMs in Québec;
Develop partnerships and collaborations between several companies or key players that will have potential wide-ranging benefits for Québec’s CSM value chains

ELIGIBLE PROJECTS

For a submission to PRIMA Québec, the proposed research and development project must focus on the circular economy applied to CSMs and be related to one or more PRIMA Québec axes.

In accordance with its strategic plan, PRIMA Québec encourages the submission of projects concerning the development of advanced materials applied to Québec’s leading sectors, such as transportation and infrastructure, energy, environment, textiles, electronics, health and chemistry, critical and strategic minerals.

Technologies targeted by this call for projects mainly include:

New materials: Polymers, elastomers, biomaterials, metals, innovative fillers, cellulosic filaments, natural and synthetic fibres, nanomaterials, quantum materials, etc.
Formulated materials or finished or semi-finished high-performance products: Composites (TS or TP), rubbers, alloys, ceramics, intelligent textiles, flexible materials, membranes, thin layers, coatings, biocompatible materials, encapsulation, sensors, printable electronics, quantum technology, etc.
Implementation and scaling processes and new characterization techniques: Additive manufacturing and 3D printing, surface modification and treatment, micro/nanofabrication, tooling, new characterization instruments, modelling and simulation, shaping processes, quantum computing, etc.
Use of artificial intelligence with advanced materials for production, integration or implementation processes or characterization techniques.

See the guide for projects examples.

ELIGIBILITY RULES

Organizations and companies eligible for project funding under the CSM Circular Economy Program must be regular members of PRIMA Québec and be involved in the advanced materials sector.

Two components characterize the eligibility to the measure.

Component 1 – Québec College Centres for the transfer of technology (CCTT) and non-profit organizations (NPO) involved in various research and development areas in collaboration with a company or group of companies.

Component 2 – Company or group of companies with an establishment in operation in Québec intended to produce goods and services or for research and development activities.

Thus, eligible applicants, eligible projects as well as eligible and ineligible expenses vary from one component to another, see the guide for more information. Universities can participate, but only as a second partner.

Summary of these standards according to the components

Elements	Component 1 CCTT et NPO	Component 2 Compagny
Maximum duration of the projects	36 months	24 months
Minimum number of companies with a presence in Québec (production or R&D)	1	1
Eligibility of Canadian, foreign or industry association companies	YES as 2^nd company	YES as 2^nd company
Minimum number of research institutions (CCTT or NPO)	1	0
Maximum PRIMA grant (funding rate (%) of eligible expenses)	70% (cash)	70% (cash)
Minimum industrial contribution	20% of the project (cash)	20% of the project (cash)
Maximum accumulation of public funds per project	80% (cash)	80% (cash)
Maximum PRIMA funding per project (including IRCs if applicable)	$500,000 per project	$500,000 per project