Project funding program 2024-25

The Project Financing Program is back!

The Project Financing Program enables tourism companies and organizations to submit an innovative project they would like to carry out.

To achieve this, the Program offers financial support of :

Component 1: Strategic coaching: 75% of consulting fees ( an expert can be found in our bank of strategic coaching experts) between $5,000 to $12 000 $ forstrategic project development coaching;

Component 2: Project financing 75% of total project value up to 90 000 $ (individual project) and up to 200 000 $ (group project, including several project leaders from the tourism industry).

For full details, download the Applicant’s Guide.

Dates to remember

June 25 2024 – Opening of project submission
July 11, 2024 – Virtual information session
August 26, 2024 – 1st deadline for project applications
September 25, 2024 – 2nd deadline for project applications
November 2024 – Announcement of winners (applications received by August 26, 2024)
November 22, 2024 – 3rd deadline for project applications
December 2024 – Announcement of winners (applications received by September 25, 2024)
March 2025 — Announcement of winners (applications submitted by November 22, 2024).

Who is it for?

The applicant must be a company or organization working in the Quebec tourism industry, or an innovative Quebec tourism company.

An applicant can submit an individual project, or act as applicant for a collective project involving several companies.

We encourage players to get together and submit collaborative projects to create maximum spin-offs in your sectors of activity or in your region.

What types of project can be submitted?

The program aims to support innovative projects for tourism businesses and organizations. An innovative project can be the integration of a product, service, process or business model:

that didn’t exist before, and that adds economic, social or environmental value to the market or to the company itself;
already existing, but to which a novelty and/or a certain level of personalization has been added, constituting significant added value for the company;
that already exist and are widespread on the market, but whose adoption represents a novelty for the company itself;
which takes into account the principles of sustainable and responsible tourism.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The applicant must be a company or organization working in the Quebec tourism industry, or an innovative Quebec tourism company;

The applicant must be the beneficiary of the project submitted;
The applicant must have been in operation for more than one year;
The applicant must have a Quebec registration number (NEQ);
The applicant must have a website available in French;
The same company cannot be financed again by a program ¹ MT Lab program funded by the Ministry of Tourism for a similar project;
A project developed under the strategic support component can be submitted in the same year for the project financing component;
Project submission guidelines, including those concerning the documents to be attached to the form, must be respected;
Companies that are in a conflict of interest situation or are directly related to MT Lab employees or members of their Board of Directors are excluded from the Tourism Innovation Program.

¹ Excellence Grants, HR Grants, Incubatees Grants, Call for Solutions, Call for Challenges, Growth Program, Project Financing Program, Camp Découverte.

The following are excluded as applicants:

State-owned companies;
Ministries;
Government agencies of Quebec or of Canada.

Eligibility requirements specific to the strategic support and parameters component

Strategic coaching must be completed in full within the stated parameters no later than 6 months after the official announcement;
The company must be able to finance the 25% (up to $3,000) not covered by MT Lab as part of the strategic coaching component;
The customer can choose an expert from our database of strategic coaching experts, or select another expert of their choice.

Parameters:

Company’s share: between $1,250 and $3,000
Part financed by MT Lab: between $3,750 and $9,000
Total grant amount: between $5,000 and $12,000

Specific to project financing :

It must be possible to complete the project in its entirety within 9 months of the official selection announcement.

PROJECT SELECTION CRITERIA

1. Responding to the priority themes identified:

- Improve the productivity, competitiveness and efficiency of tourism businesses;
- Countering labor shortages;
- Reduce the environmental footprint of tourism;
- Going digital;
- Meeting the challenges of responsible, sustainable tourism.

2. The level of risk that implementing this project represents for your organization;

3. The new processes, procedures, products or services that this project represents for your organization;

4. Potential spin-offs for the business sector or the region;

5. The project presented aims to increase the company’s productivity.

HOW TO SUBMIT A PROJECT

Strategic support

Complete the applicant form andattach the following documents:

1. Presentation document (maximum 6 pages – template to download and complete):

presentation of your company/organization;
presentation of the issues your project addresses;
if possible, a description of the project you wish to develop;
project objectives;
description of the innovative nature of the project;
description of the level of risk for the applicant;
presentation of the project’s mutualization potential in the Quebec tourism industry;
timetable for the various stages of strategic reflection;
presentation of the strategic coaching service provider;
quotes as provided by the service provider.

2. A letter of commitment from the applicant’s management or board of directors, guaranteeing budget availability and one or more internal project managers (1 page).

3. A declaration of non-conflict of interest with the selected supplier (if applicable), members of the MT Lab team and members of the MT Lab Board of Directors (1 page – template to download and complete)

Project financing

Complete the applicant form andattach the following documents:

1. Presentation document (maximum 9 pages – template to download and complete):

presentation of your company/organization (and other companies in the case of a group project);
presentation of the issues your project addresses;
description;
project objectives;
description of the innovative nature of the project;
description of the level of risk for the applicant;
indicate in the template the potential for your company/organization to increase productivity;
presentation of the project’s mutualization potential in the Quebec tourism industry;
supplier presentation;
completion schedule with milestones identified for disbursement at mid-project and at the end of the project;
quotes as provided by the service provider;
presentation of expected results for the company (key performance indicators) and potential spin-offs for the business sector or the region.

2. A letter of commitment from the applicant’s management or board of directors, guaranteeing budget availability and one or more internal project managers. In the case of a group project, you will need to enclose a letter of commitment from each stakeholder, stating their roles and responsibilities in the project (1 page).

Do you have any questions?

Consult the Applicant’s Guide

Watch the information session on July 11, 2024 at 12:00 pm

For further information, please contact Clément Herf, Innovation Program Management Advisor at clement@mtlab.ca

Frequently asked questions

Are regional tourism associations (ATR) and industry associations (ATS) eligible?

Yes, ATRs and ATSs are Quebec tourism organizations and therefore eligible as applicants.

Can a startup act as an applicant?

A startup can apply for funding if it wishes to set up an innovative project within its organization. The startup must have been in operation for more than one year.

If the startup wants to act as an innovative service provider, the project must be submitted by the tourism company/organization that will be implementing the project – i.e. the funding recipient. In this case, the startup can contact tourism companies/organizations that might be interested in its services, and indicate that the funding application can and should be made by them.

If the project involves subscribing to a platform, can subscription fees be charged for more than one year?

No. As the project must be completed no later than 9 months after the official selection announcement, all expenses mentioned in the project application must have been incurred within this timeframe. You may, however, mention in your application that the project will be carried out over more than one year, but that for the purposes of the funding request, the expenses are indicated for the 9 months following the official announcement of the project.

Does the more risky a project is for the organization, the more likely it is to be accepted by the jury?

No. The project must indeed involve a risk for the company, since this is one of the selection criteria. However, the notion of risk is relative and will manifest itself differently in each organization, which you need to be able to explain clearly. It’s also important to bear in mind that the jury is assessing the innovation of the project as a whole.

Can the other 25% of the project cost come from a partner or other external funding source?

Yes, but you must be certain of being able to contribute 25% of the project when you submit your project.

Can the project be carried out with a supplier located outside Canada?

Yes, there are no constraints on the choice of supplier.

If the product already exists and the aim is to develop innovative additional features, is the application eligible?

Yes, but it must be clearly stated in the project application what portion of the project will be carried out as part of the funding request.

Can I finance my project developed during strategic coaching with this program?

In fact, you can submit your project developed during strategic coaching for funding through the Project Financing Program. However, you can’t do this in a single application: you’ll have to re-submit a file for the second phase. This application will be analyzed by the Selection Committee, which will decide whether or not to fund it.