Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) in the Prairie provinces

Who can apply

*Definition of a “high-growth business”

A high growth business can be defined as any for-profit company that has notable and/or consistent revenue increases year-over-year. Priority will normally be given to companies with 20% year-over-year revenue growth.

The BSP program is open to incorporated high-growth businesses that have been operating in the Prairie Provinces for a minimum of 2 years. Preference may be given to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with less than 500 full-time employees (FTEs).

Businesses must meet the following mandatory criteria:

1. high-growth business that is scaling up and producing innovative goods, services or technologies
2. incorporated in Canada
3. have been in business for at least 2 years in Canada
4. have staffed operating facilities in the Prairie provinces
5. have confirmed, at the time of expression of interest submission, funding from all other sources, including government and non-government
6. non-government funding must represent at least 50% of the proposed project costs

All eligible applicants must be legal entities capable of entering into legally binding agreements.

The maximum project duration is 3 years and, in addition to the eligible activities above, the project must focus on 1 or more of the following priority areas:

1. Advanced manufacturing. This is defined by developing and adopting innovative technologies to:

• create new products
• enhance processes
• establish more efficient and cost-effective ways of working

2. Clean resources. This refers to transitioning from the old resource economy into a new resource economy. It is where innovation drives economic and environmental competitiveness in the energy, mining and forestry sectors. It leverages Canada’s natural resources advantage to transition to a low-carbon economy.
3. Clean technology. This refers to any process, product or service that reduces environmental harm in order to:

• control costs
• meet new regulations
• improve global competitiveness
• protect climate, water, land and air

4. Digital industries. This includes:

• information and communication technology (ICT)
• digital and interactive media
• content industries

5. Health/bio-sciences. This includes a wide range of companies, such as:

• pharmaceutical developers and makers
• medical devices and biomedical innovators
• digital health solutions producers
• precision health
• disruptive technologies, such as:
• artificial intelligence (AI)
• big data analytics
• 3-D printing
• robotics
• nanotechnologies

6. Natural resources value-added processing. This includes processing natural resources in the energy, mineral or forestry sectors. This adds value to the raw materials.
7. Value-added agriculture. This is a complex and interdependent sector that includes agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture. It also includes food and beverages processing.

Note that preference will be given to proposals with a demonstrated focus on:

1. Food and ingredients processing - includes businesses producing plant-based food and ingredients
2. Zero emission heavy equipment vehicles - includes manufacturers of urban and intercity buses, fire trucks, motorhomes, recreational vehicles, trailers, mobile agricultural, construction and mining equipment, and their associated suppliers. Related technologies include battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell drives, electrification of ancillary systems, material light weighting and others.
3. Critical minerals processing - includes companies and service providers that process or create value added materials and/or products from critical minerals, such as advanced batteries, permanent magnets, solar panels, wind turbines, small modular reactors, defence and security technologies, semiconductors and consumer electronics.