Applications are now open for Intellectual Property Ontario’s (IPON’s) expanded intellectual property (IP) funding and education programs aimed at helping Ontario-based entrepreneurs, researchers and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) protect and commercialize their IP.
What is IPON?
IPON is an agency of the Province of Ontario which provides IP support and services to Ontario innovators, researchers, and business owners. These services include IP education, financial support, and mentorship to allow clients to maximize the value of their IP and strengthen their capacity to grow, compete in the market, and achieve positive commercialization and research outcomes.
What are the new programs being offered?
The IP Bootcamp is a three month program designed for IP owners looking for intensive, time-limited support, and immediate access to funding. Clients receive up to $35,000 of funding (with additional funding calls up to $100,000) and clients must contribute 20% of the IP service costs, with the remaining 80% of IP service costs borne by IPON. In addition, the IP Bootcamp program will provide clients with the following services:
- 1:1 account manager;
- Timely consultations from IPON’s Tiger Team (coming soon). The Tiger team is a consultation team which provides clients with information on their urgent, IP-specific, critical business issues.
- Access to networking events;
- Access to the following additional programs/tools:
- IP Foundations course and workshop;
- Advanced IP education (coming soon);
- IP benchmarking tool which reviews a client’s IP strategy, assets, and processes;
- IP intelligence based on IP patent landscape reports. These reports provide information such as patent filings for a specific technology or industry, IP filing tends, key and emerging players in a sector, licensing opportunities, risk/threats, and whitespace areas; and
- 1:1 Mentorship from mentors who have lived experience in IP and commercialization.
The Partner Program is available to IP owners who are affiliated with an IPON partner organization and need additional IP support and funding. This program is available to clients for up to 6 months and IP funding of up to $35,000 (with additional funding calls up to $100,000). Clients must also contribute 20% of the IP service costs, with the remaining 80% of IP service costs borne by IPON. The Partner Program provides all the same services as the IP Bootcamp except clients will not have access to a 1:1 account manager.
A Self-Guided Program will be available in early 2024 to enable clients to access IPON services on-demand and will give clients the ability to apply for funding calls up to $100,000.
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for these programs you must be an Ontario based small or medium size enterprise with fewer than 500 employees, or an Ontario Resident or entity that is deemed eligible by IPON, the Minister of Colleges and Universities, or the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade. Applicants are required to demonstrate that they:
- operate in Ontario and intend to grow their business in Ontario long-term;
- own IP or IP rights and intend to commercialize or monetize the IP in Canada;
- have the potential to provide societal or economic benefits to Ontario;
- have the financial capacity to advance the protection and commercialization of IP and IP rights that IPON Client Services may support;
- have an immediate IP need suited for IPON services and IP funding;
- are affiliated with a Regional Innovation Centre or an IPON key partner in Ontario; and
- operate in one of the following sectors: MedTech, life sciences, artificial intelligence (and data driven technologies), vehicle technology (including autonomous vehicle and EV technology), and mining and advanced manufacturing as related to the aforementioned sectors.
Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis. For more information on these programs and the eligibility criteria please see the IPON website.
If you would like to discuss the IPON programs (or other Canadian IP grant programs) in more detail, or require assistance with the application processes under these programs, please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of Miller Thomson’s Intellectual Property team.
