The Saskatchewan Advantage Innovation Fund (SAIF) will begin accepting expressions of interest (EOI) for its first intake of 2018. The deadline to submit an EOI is April 30. Successful applicants will be invited to submit full applications. Along with funding for research and development projects in the oil and gas, mining and agriculture sectors, the program will now be open to the manufacturing, health care and education fields, with a focus on the development of digital technologies supporting these sectors. The funding program was set up in 2012 to help facilitate innovation in the province’s core economic sectors and their industrial ecosystems. The fund supports industry-driven projects that demonstrate benefits to economic sectors. For successful applicants, SAIF funds will cover a maximum of 30 per cent of project costs. SAIF has seen significant industry demand and has been fully utilized in most years since its inception. To date, it has funded 21 cutting-edge research projects and leveraged an additional $21 million in industry and federal research and development investments. For more details on SAIF, its application process and eligibility requirements, visit http://innovationsask.ca/research/saskatchewan-advantage-innovation-fund
