BRITISH COLUMBIA – The BC government is supporting innovation and diversification in the province’s manufacturing sector with a $10-million investment in small and medium-sized businesses.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Canada has been selected by the Province to deliver the Accelerating Manufacturing Scale-Up Grant program, which provides funding to eligible businesses to help them adjust to the economic changes created by the COVID-19 pandemic and better prepare for the future.
Grant applications will be accepted between April 15 and May 31, 2021.
There are more than 11,000 small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in BC contributing $17 billion to the economy each year.
The program will provide 75 per cent of project costs to a maximum of $250,000 for individual business projects, or up to $500,000 for projects by a group of businesses.
Projects will support the following activities:
- demonstration or testing for prototypes of new technologies;
- commercialization of new technologies, products or services;
- improving market access or supply-chain competitiveness; and
- identifying and applying operational improvements or increasing sustainability in supply chains.
“Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) has long identified underinvestment in advanced manufacturing machinery and equipment as a major factor in Canada’s lagging productivity,” said Andrew Wynn-Williams, divisional vice-president for BC, CME. “This program supports exactly the kind of investment needed to alleviate the challenge and promote growth in BC’s manufacturing sector.”
The program is led by PwC with financial support from the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation.
For more information on the Accelerating Manufacturing Scale-Up Grant program, including the application process and eligibility, visit: http://bcmanufacturinggrant.ca/
