Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative – Productization and Commercialization Pillar 1:

Who can apply

Projects must be primarily focused on the productization/commercialization of responsible AI or AI-driven solutions to be eligible for funding under this pillar.

For business-led projects, FedDev Ontario may give priority to those that can demonstrate at least one of the following:

1. Positive market traction, for example, through sales of their products or services, export potential and/or domestic and global patent filings.
2. Evidence of past or current assistance from the innovation ecosystem, for example, investment from an accredited angel or venture capital investor or participation in a Canadian business accelerator, incubator, another government organization's program, or a similar initiative.

To be eligible, your business must:

1. Be incorporated and registered to do business in Canada or Ontario.
2. Have at least 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee and no more than 500 FTEs.
3. Have at least 1 year of business operations, as demonstrated by your financial statements.
4. Own (or demonstrate that you will own) project IP, have or will secure rights to any IP required for the project, and not infringe on any IP rights
5. Demonstrate a commitment to the responsible development and use of AI.

To be eligible, your organization must:

1. Be an incorporated not-for-profit organization in Canada or Ontario.
2. Have a track record of providing services to multiple businesses in southern Ontario.
3. Have an Intellectual Property (IP) policy, which addresses ownership and protection of IP, and rights to third-party IP if required for the project.
4. Demonstrate a commitment to responsible AI the responsible development and use of AI.

Responsible development and use of AI

Your AI/AI-driven solution is or has been developed in a manner that complies with current and anticipated legislative requirements and industry standards, and you have a plan to align your project with principles of responsible AI such as:

1. Cybersecurity – Data, any IP, AI systems and underlying infrastructure are protected from cyber threats, a pre-requisite to data privacy.
2. Human oversight and accountability – Humans exercise meaningful oversight and regular monitoring of AI systems, and there are accountability frameworks in place with respect to performance, impacts and compliance with ethical, technical, and legal requirements/standards.

As relevant:

1. Data governance and privacy – Policies, practices and roles are in place to ensure sound stewardship and quality of data used for the training or operation of AI systems. If the data involved is personal/sensitive, sound governance will ensure lawful, consent-based access, collection and use of only data that is needed for the intended purpose, as well as the proper retention, disclosure, and deletion of this data to prevent unauthorized access. Privacy is a fundamental right in Canada.
2. Safety – Risks of harm (physical, psychological, financial, etc.) to individuals or society are identified and mitigated.
3. Fairness and equity – AI systems do not reinforce or create bias against specific groups of people.
4. Accuracy and authenticity – AI systems produce results that are reliable, correct and original, and are based on data that are accurate, authentic, relevant and unbiased, etc.
5. Eligible projects

The Productization and Commercialization pillar supports the following:

1. Projects focused on bringing to market new and innovative AI/AI-driven solutions (at technology readiness levels (TRL) 6 and above).
2. Projects that increase the capacity of developers of AI/AI-driven solutions to grow through market expansion.

The Productization and Commercialization pillar supports the following:

1. Projects focused on growing and sustaining AI clusters and ecosystems by supporting SMEs that are developing AI/AI-driven solutions to advance product development and/or commercialization of new applications for entry into (new) markets.