Frequently asked questions

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Is my business eligible for OCIP?

All Ontario businesses are eligible to participate in OCIP. If you’re interested in participating, subscribe to our contact list so you can be notified when OCIP is available for your business.

Is my higher education institution (HEI) eligible for OCIP?

All eCampusOntario member institutions are eligible to participate in OCIP. You can view a full list of our member institutions on our eCampusOntario Team page under ‘Members’.

What information do you need from my business?

We ask for information to help us match your Innovation Challenge to research expertise, including industry sector, budget, equipment, and any other related project information. This is in addition to some basic information about your business. Not only does this information enable OCIP to match you with research experts, but it also enables OCIP to facilitate your SR&ED claim at the end of the project.

How much does a research and development (R&D) project cost?

Cost of projects vary, depending on the length of time, number of people needed, scope of work, and types of research activities.

OCIP helps you leverage research grants to help pay for your project by matching you to a funding agency. Currently, there are 80+ funding programs available for matching within our database. For example, Mitacs, one of our funding partners, requires businesses to have a minimum of $7500 available in order to apply for additional funding. This amount is matched by Mitacs in $7500 increments, and is intended to pay for a single researcher expert’s time and resources over 4 month period.

A project which spans 4 months will typically cover smaller scope projects, literature reviews, analysis of data sets, and short lab projects. Projects that require more technical development, prototyping, or research can require more time and a larger budget.

How long does it take to get matched?

The time it takes to move to the next steps depends on how many researchers are available for the work at the time of application.

Who owns the intellectual property when a project is finished?

At the end of a project, your business keeps ownership of your intellectual property (IP). This helps small and medium-sized enterprises create ownable IP to attract investors and continue to grow their businesses. There may be some exceptions where IP may be negotiated and shared with a higher education institution.

What about non-disclosure agreements?

Non-disclosure agreement clauses are built into OCIP’s terms and conditions. Businesses are not permitted to see the Innovation Challenge submissions or active Projects of other businesses.

Researchers from higher education institutions have access to view Innovation Challenges in order to appropriately scope the work involved.

eCampusOntario is a not-for-profit centre of excellence and global leader in the evolution of teaching and learning through technology.

OCIP is made possible with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities.