R&D Project Funding
The Research & Development Corporation (RDC) administers funding for research and development (R&D) projects relevant to local business and the economy of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Business-led Programs
(where commercial entities apply)
The R&D Vouchers and R&D Proof of Concept programs provide small and medium-sized companies with access to R&D funding. R&D Vouchers improve access to researchers (technical expertise), research facilities and equipment, and facilitates collaborative R&D among business and academia. R&D Proof of Concept reduces technical and financial risk of pre-commercial R&D.
To accelerate research and development in the petroleum industry, the PetroleumR&D Accelerator provides a co-funding mechanism for larger projects that align with business needs and development opportunities. Target R&D performers include oil and gas supply and service companies, technology providers, marine transport and ocean technology companies with market applications in the petroleum industry.
Geoscience R&D projects, with relevance to industry and significant potential for economic impact in Newfoundland and Labrador, are supported through GeoEXPLORE (2011-2013). GeoEXPLORE is a three-year directed research program with target areas including Collaborative Research Opportunities, which encourages local, national, and international collaboration among academic, industry and government researchers, and Post-doctoral Researchers, which embeds the researcher in either academic or government research environments.
The Industrial R&D Fellowships (IRDF) program is focused on industry-embedded researchers and supports small and medium-sized companies to hire recent PhD graduates thus enhancing their R&D capacity.
Academic-led Programs
(where post-secondary institutions and other not-for-profit research facilities apply)
Support for academic-led projects focuses on strengthening our R&D capacity, through investments in: the development of highly-qualified researchers; R&D activities that align with business needs, our competitive advantages and development opportunities; and world-class R&D infrastructure. This includes leverage required to attract R&D investments from non-provincial, public funding sources (LeverageR&D), funding for new or first-time researchers (IgniteR&D), and support for business-academic collaboration (CollaborativeR&D).
Geoscience R&D projects, with relevance to industry and significant potential for economic impact in Newfoundland and Labrador, are supported through GeoEXPLORE (2011-2013). GeoEXPLORE is a three-year directed research program with target areas including Industry-led R&D, Technology Development and Demonstration, which serves to reduce exploration risk, increase discovery success, and support innovation through to resource development.
Our Ocean Industries Student Research Awards aim to attract, retain and develop highly-qualified people and the next generation of R&D leaders for Newfoundland and Labrador’s ocean industries.
RDC’s Research Inspired Student Enrichment (RISE) Awards provide top Newfoundland and Labrador high school students with the opportunity to attend research-related enrichment programs focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
RDC Mitacs Accelerate Internships enable graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to lead R&D projects, connect with local businesses and apply their specialized skills and ideas to real-world technical challenges. These four-month internships will enable graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to attain practical research and business skills, and businesses to access the research talent they need to drive innovation.
RDC has also administered an academic R&D Infrastructure call focusing on research tools and equipment and R&D platforms (i.e., dedicated research facilities) that encouraged collaboration with industry.