Partnerships with Companies
Is your company looking to develop an innovative technology or integrate new processes? Do you want to solve a problem with one of your products? Would you like to benefit from financing programs and tax credits? Do you lack the time, expertise, personnel, or equipment required to take the next steps? The Partnerships Office can help you.
ÉTS Offers Several Types of Collaboration
Choose the Option That Best Suits Your Business
There are many ways to collaborate with ÉTS, whether you have a small, medium, or large-scale project. We can offer you options that suit your budget and schedule: research and development contracts, projects led by bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral students, rentals of cutting-edge equipment, technical or legal expertise.
Research and Innovation Projects
Research and Development Contracts
These types of contracts focus on the technological development of a product or service and aims to solve large-scale problems with well-defined deliverables. Generally, they involve a team of researchers, technicians, and professionals. These contracts are a logical follow-up to a technical expertise or feasibility study at a company and generally last from a few months to less than two years.
R&D Partnership Contracts: Longer-Term Collaborations
Do you have a specific innovation in mind for your product or service? Does your project require a strong scientific approach? Are you looking for a longer-term collaboration with ÉTS, between two and five years? The R&D Partnership Contract can answer your needs. For this type of contract, you can train highly qualified personnel (master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral students) who could eventually join your company.
This type of research, as well as strategic sector-based projects, may be eligible for grants of up to 80% of the research budget from federal and provincial funding agencies, including:
- the Collaborative Research and Development program from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
- cluster funding from MITACS
- grants from one of the nine Sector-Based Industrial Research Clusters.
Strategic Sector-Based Projects (Subsidized Projects)
You can submit projects that will lead to the creation of a centre of excellence, an industrial chair, or a precompetitive, multi-partner research project. You can also join existing projects. Meet the team at the Dean of Research’s office to learn more about the opportunities available to you!
Collaborative Projects With Students
End of Studies Projects (Bachelor’s Degree)
Do you want to solve a small-scale problem that also involves design? Our students can help you as part of their “End of Studies Project” course. Your project will be entered into a project bank and may be chosen by a student or team of students. Does your problem need different types of expertise? Even better, a team of students with multidisciplinary skills will be able to help you.
There is only one deliverable for this type of project: the final study report. Therefore, there are no guarantees of results from either students or ÉTS. Please note that while you do not have to remunerate students, you are responsible for all costs related to materials and supplies. Financial contributions are welcome and will be donated to the ÉTS development fund scholarship program.
Master’s, Doctoral, and Postdoctoral Research Projects
You can present your project to a master’s or doctoral student and receive a grant from the MITACS Program. To be eligible, your project must be of short duration and involve a business-related concern. The student will spend approximately half of their time at your workplace and the other half at the university. You can receive up to $15,000 in funding per four-month research block when your organization contributes $7,500 to the project. The maximum funding available is two blocks for students pursuing a master’s degree, four blocks for doctoral students, and six blocks for postdoctoral researchers. Learn more at MITACS Program.
Access to Research Infrastructure and Expertise
Performing Standardized Tests
At ÉTS, we have access to state-of-the-art equipment. We also have experts in highly specialized fields of applied engineering. If you are experiencing specific challenges with one of your products, we can conduct a series of standardized tests to identify areas for improvement. These tests can subsequently lead to expertise or R&D contracts. Testing is typically short-term, ranging from a few hours to a few days. You are responsible for all costs.
Technical Expertise
This option is useful for solving specific problems. It can also be used to study the feasibility of a larger project. Technical expertise mandates can last from a few days to a few weeks. The costs of the expertise are covered entirely by your company, but companies with fewer than 500 employees may be eligible for funded through certain grant programs, such as the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).
Legal Expertise
Our researchers are recognized for their expertise across the world in a number of scientific fields. They can therefore act as experts in legal cases. Their work ranges from case preparation and negotiations to appearances before arbitrators and the courts. The costs of this type of expertise are entirely at your expense.