Skip to content
Cogio

Funding

The programs that pay for your AI project

RTRI, ESSOR, C3I, MFOR, CRIC and SR&ED can be stacked on a single project. Here are the programs, the conditions attached to each, and the order in which to apply. 2026 rates, checked against official sources.

The programs, one by one

Rates and conditions in force in 2026, checked against official sources. Everything needs reconfirming at the time you file: budgets are often offered until the envelope runs dry.

Federal contributionNew

RTRI · Tariff response

50% · up to $3M non-repayable

A business incorporated in Quebec with revenue of at least $1M, viable before March 21, 2025 and affected by U.S. or Chinese tariffs, in any industry. Two streams that can be combined: a pivot project (automation, digitization, productivity) funded at 50% up to $1M, and liquidity support of up to $2M. The project may have started up to 12 months before the application and must be completed by March 31, 2029.

Canada Economic Development (opens in a new window) ↗
Grant

ESSOR 1A · Feasibility study

50% · max. $50,000

For-profit companies registered in Quebec, with no employee or revenue threshold. Covers consulting fees, analyses and travel (market, technology, site visits).

Investissement Québec (opens in a new window) ↗
Grant

ESSOR 1B · Digital diagnostic and plan

50% · max. $20,000

SMEs with 250 employees or fewer AND revenue of at least $2.5M. Required deliverables: a maturity index, at least 9 documented processes, a costed digital plan, a requirements document and a change management plan.

Investissement Québec (opens in a new window) ↗
Grant

ESSOR 1C · Implementation

50% · max. $50,000

SMEs with 250 employees or fewer AND revenue of at least $2.5M. Prerequisite: the 1B plan must already be done, with the application filed within 24 months. Minimum private contribution of 20%.

Investissement Québec (opens in a new window) ↗
Grant

Mon succès numérique

50% (100 h or fewer) · max. $11,200

SMEs with 500 employees or fewer, start-ups, self-funded non-profits and co-operatives. Funds coaching hours from a college centre for technology transfer, not equipment purchases. The entry point for very small businesses.

Réseau des CCTT (opens in a new window) ↗
Refundable credit

C3I · Investment and innovation

25%, 20% or 15% depending on the region

All sizes, established in Quebec. Manufacturing equipment (class 53), computer hardware and software (class 50), management software packages (class 12). $5,000 exclusion threshold per item of computer equipment. The asset must be used in Quebec for at least 730 days. Cannot be combined with the CRIC on the same asset. Assets acquired before January 1, 2030.

Revenu Québec (opens in a new window) ↗
Grant

MFOR · Workforce training

Up to 75% · max. $100,000

All employers except the public sector. Covers trainer fees, course material and wages paid during training. The application must be filed before training begins.

Services Québec (opens in a new window) ↗
Refundable credit

CRIC · R&D, innovation and commercialization

30% (first $1M), then 20%

All sizes. R&D wages, 50% of subcontracting performed in Quebec, R&D capital and pre-commercialization. Exclusion threshold: the greater of $50,000 or roughly $18,500 per assigned employee. Cannot be combined with the C3I on the same asset.

Revenu Québec (opens in a new window) ↗
Federal credit

SR&ED · Scientific research

35% refundable (SMEs) · 15% (large companies)

All sizes. R&D work that resolves a technological uncertainty, backed by contemporaneous documentation (timesheets, uncertainty log). Hard deadline: 18 months after the end of the tax year. Can be combined with the CRIC.

Canada Revenue Agency (opens in a new window) ↗

How we help you get it

Building the application is part of the service, with one golden rule: file before you commit a single dollar. With a few exceptions, such as the RTRI, which accepts a project started up to 12 months before the application, an expense incurred before filing is ineligible.

  1. Qualify your eligibility

    We check headcount, revenue, industry and region to target the right programs, and rule out the ones that do not apply to you.

  2. Start at the front door

    The diagnostic (ESSOR 1B for an SME, Mon succès numérique for a very small business) is the funded deliverable that unlocks everything after it: 1C, C3I, MFOR.

  3. File before you spend

    We assemble the application (project description, target deliverable, detailed budget, financial statements) and file it. With rare exceptions (the RTRI reaches back up to 12 months), any expense committed before filing is ineligible.

  4. Sign the funding agreement

    Once approval comes through, the agreement is signed before work starts. A partial payment of roughly 30% can be released on signature.

  5. Deliver and document

    We carry out the engagement while keeping every receipt and the contemporaneous documentation (timesheets, uncertainty log) that makes the tax credits stand up to review.

  6. Claim and report

    The final grant payment comes with the closing report; tax credits are claimed on the corporate return, within 18 months. We prepare the reports and the forms.

For the detail on each program, read our 2026 guide to AI funding in Quebec.

The stacking rules in four questions

Can several programs be stacked on the same AI project?

Yes, and it is the norm: a grant for the implementation, a federal contribution for the R&D, and tax credits on the corporate return. Two absolute limits: the same expense can never be funded twice, and some programs cap the total of all government support (ESSOR, for one, requires a private contribution of at least 20%).

Can the C3I and the CRIC be combined?

Not on the same asset: for each piece of equipment you have to pick whichever credit is worth more given your tax position. That is the classic trade-off to work through with your tax adviser before buying a server.

When does the money actually arrive?

Grants such as ESSOR are applied for before you commit the expense and paid out according to the agreement; tax credits (CRIC, C3I, SR&ED) are claimed after the fact, on the corporate return, so months after the money went out. The project’s cash flow has to be planned around that timeline.

Are the amounts shown guaranteed?

No. The rates shown are those in force in 2026, checked against official sources, but eligibility, ceilings and stacking are confirmed case by case with Investissement Québec, Revenu Québec and the Canada Revenue Agency. Treat every figure as a planning scenario, never as money in hand.