The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP), has been working on the Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) innovation program for over a decade. This initiative is designed to assist SMEs in navigating the constantly evolving energy marketplace. NRC-IRAP has a wealth of experience providing technical and business advisory services for R&D, as well as strategic intelligence and tailored solutions to meet specific business needs. Additionally, NRC-IRAP offers financial support to eligible SMEs in Canada to help them innovate with technology. Businesses that work with NRCIRAP are better positioned to engage in applied R&D, introduce new products and services to global markets, and access new markets.
In 2022-23, PTAC helped to complete 24 Product Market Fit (262 completed since 2016) and 18 Project Consortium Development engagements (145 completed since 2016). The 10 projects launched in 2022-23 with PTAC support and involving IRAP clients had a total value of $5.6 million. Since 2014, the program has supported the launch of 65 projects with a total value of $79.4 million. The associated cumulative emissions reductions in Canada from PTAC and IRAP facilitated projects are forecasted to be 60 million tonnes CO2e in 2030 and 360 million tonnes CO2e in 2050.