Economic Affairs Ministry and Canadian province of Quebec agree on joint funding for R&D projects of SMEs

Dr Franziska Brantner, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec’s Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, yesterday agreed on closer cooperation on the funding of innovative projects of small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany and in the Canadian province of Quebec.

In the joint declaration of intent, both sides reaffirm their common interest in the mitigation of  climate change, the transition to clean energy, and the development of technologies for electrification and thus decarbonisation. The partners share the wish to deepen their existing cooperation in the fields of research, development and innovation.

Parliamentary State Secretary Dr Franziska Brantner said:
"Canada and Germany are linked by a close partnership which we want to intensify. In this context, the cooperation between companies plays a key role, especially in the field of innovations. The aim of our initiative therefore is to jointly provide funding for research and development projects of companies in Germany and Quebec to realise innovative ideas. We will thus strengthen the competitiveness and internationalisation of enterprises and promote the transfer of knowledge from research to industry. In addition, the link between Germany and Quebec will become even closer. Our cooperation will also help both sides to attain their ambitious climate targets."

Agreement was reached on the launch of a first call for proposals for joint innovation projects between startups, SMEs and research institutions from Germany and Quebec in the near future. The call for proposals includes all technology and application areas with a focus on innovations in the fields of the energy transition, green hydrogen technologies, environmentally friendly battery technologies and production, and the conversion and recycling of critical and strategic minerals.

Funding for German partners will be provided by the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.