Collaborate 2 Commercialize (C2C) Program
This program supports the collaboration between Academia and Industry to solve an industry-based problem and drive the commercialization of Intellectual Property [IP].
Offered by Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI)
Amount
50 per cent (maximum) of total eligible project costs, from $20,000 to $150,000 (standalone stream); NSERC-Alliance stream: from $20,000 up to $50,000 from OCI C2C; NSERC-ARD stream: from $20,000 up to $40,000 from OCI C2C, each matched by the industry partner
Quick eligibility check
Who can apply
Research Partner:
- Principal investigator at Ontario publicly funded university/research hospital, or applied research officer at Ontario publicly funded college
Industry Partner:
- For-profit company
- Incorporated in Ontario for a minimum of two years, and five full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in Ontario
- Operations and/or R&D in Ontario with capacity to commercialize results of the project
Project:
- Utilizes unique skills/resources of post-secondary institution to meet industry innovation and commercialization needs
About the funding
NSERC Funding Streams
In partnership, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Ontario Centre of Innovation are offering C2C grants to support post-secondary research and development collaborations with the highest potential for regional economic development and commercialization in Ontario.
This partnership is offered through two streams – NSERC-Alliance for Universities and NSERC-ARD for Colleges.
NSERC-Alliance Stream
Show all funding details
Individual proposals can request from $20,000 up to $50,000 from NSERC Alliance grants and from $20,000 up to $50,000 from OCI C2C, with a corresponding $20,000 to $50,000 from the industry partner (at least 50% must be cash provided to the academic institution).
NSERC-Applied Research and Development (ARD) Stream
Individual proposals can request from $20,000 up to $40,000 from NSERC ARD grants and from $20,000 up to $40,000 from OCI C2C, with a corresponding $20,000 to $40,000 from the industry partner (at least 50% must be cash provided to the academic institution).
research teams across Ontario How Funding Works OCI Contribution • 50 per cent (maximum) of total eligible project costs, from $20,000 to SME Project $150,000 Contributions • Minimum OCI contribution $20,000 per year Example • Project duration can be between 6 months up to 24 months (maximum)
- 50 per cent (minimum) of total eligible project costs (i.e., minimum
1:1 match to OCI contribution), in cash
- At least half of the 1:1 match must be spent at the post‐ secondary
institution; remainder may be spent at the company
- Cannot be leveraged with other federal or provincial grant programs
unless otherwise stated in this program guideline OCI - C2C Program Guidelines – Effective June 1st, 2026 3|Page
- Example total eligible project costs $200,000
- Maximum OCI contribution $100,000 to post‐secondary institution
- Minimum Industry Partner contribution 100,000 ($50,000 to post‐
secondary institution, plus $50,000 spent at the company) OCI Funding Recipient • Publicly funded post‐secondary institution (i.e., university, college Institutional Overhead research hospital) Institutional Overhead • Overhead is not an eligible project expense and should not be included in the project budget
- Overhead on the OCI contribution will be remitted
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