SRED and NRC-IRAP
Two Canadian programs return real money to small technology companies, and most founders here have never used them. They are worth understanding early.
SR&ED — the R&D tax credit
The Scientific Research and Experimental Development program is a federal tax incentive for work that resolves technological uncertainty. You document the work you did, and you can receive a refund or credit. Canadian-controlled private corporations can get a meaningful refundable portion. The trick is documenting as you go, not reconstructing it a year later.
NRC-IRAP — advisor plus funding
IRAP, run by the National Research Council, gives small and medium businesses an Industrial Technology Advisor and possible funding to develop new technology. The advisor is often the most valuable part: a free, experienced technical sounding board who also knows the funding landscape.
How to approach both
- Keep contemporaneous records of experiments, hypotheses and results.
- Separate genuine R&D from ordinary product work.
- Ask an advisor before you assume you are not eligible — many small firms are.
- Get a reputable SR&ED preparer, and read what you sign.
Do this next in Central Alberta
- CARIN — regional navigation to programs
- Community Futures Central Alberta — advisors who know the programs
- Alberta Innovates — broader provincial programs
Take the next step
Reading is cheap; doing one small thing and talking it through with someone is what moves it forward. Come to a meetup and bring whatever you are stuck on. No pitch, no sign-up, no sales — peers over beers.