6 programs and grants to support your HR digital transformation

Whether you’re looking for solutions that will improve recruitment, optimize HR decision support or evaluate performance more efficiently, AI offers many advantages. There may be a program or grant available for your project.

We have written this article to introduce you to several public financial aid programs. They are designed to help you start or continue your digital transformation. AI-HR projects are perfectly in line with this initiative.

1. INVEST-AI :

The Quebec government established the INVEST-AI program. This is a $35 million fund with all the money coming from the Ministry of Economy and Innovation. The initiative aims to implement solutions that incorporate artificial intelligence. The program provides a non-repayable contribution of up to $1 million or 50% of the cost of completed projects.

The program is open to for-profit companies with a minimum of $1 million in sales and a maximum size of 1,000 employees.

INVEST-AI covers expenses related to a digital transformation and artificial intelligence project. A variety of expenses are eligible under the project, including:

• The project’s gross direct labour costs.
• Technical subcontracting services.
• Professional fees for specialized AI services, including coaching.
• Direct costs of materials and supplies.
• Direct costs for equipment and licences (especially IT), calculated by taking into account the proportion between the length of the project and the useful life of the equipment or licence.
• And much more.

2. MEI programs in innovation and artificial intelligence – Tracks 1, 2 and 3

The Quebec Ministry of Economy and Innovation (MEI) has initiated a call for innovation projects in artificial intelligence that includes 3 tracks:

• Track 1: Startup innovation projects
• Track 2: SME innovation projects
• Track 3: Large-scale innovation projects

This call for projects is open to all Quebec companies (with priority given to SMEs and startups) that want to undertake an innovation project for development and marketing or for adopting artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

The various tracks are designed to support startup projects of up to $50,000, business innovation projects of up to $150,000, and large-scale projects involving two or more companies that can obtain a grant of up to $1,500,000, depending on the needs of the companies.

The different tracks also allow for the support of various partnership configurations depending on the needs of the AI innovation projects.

3. Prompt – PARTENAR-IA

The PARTENAR-IA program (business track) is open to all Quebec companies, with priority given to SMEs and startups that want to carry out an innovation project for marketing or for adopting artificial intelligence technologies.

The program offers:

• Maximum grant of $150,000 per eligible partner company.
• Financial assistance paid to companies.
• Maximum grant of $600,000 per project (i.e. 4 companies).
• Maximum assistance from Prompt = 50% of expenses.
• And more.

The program covers many eligible expenses:

• Salaries, wages, and benefits related to the project.
• Travel and living expenses, as specified by the Ministry.
• Required equipment and supplies.
• Intellectual property operating costs (legal support).
• And more.

4. PME en action program – Support in carrying out investment projects (feasibility studies)

This program is administered by Investissement Québec as an agent of the Quebec government.

It is intended to support the manufacturing and service sectors and covers several expenses. The program is designed to carry out feasibility studies with a view to subsequently implementing an investment project. For example, the program funds:

• The execution of feasibility studies.
• Evaluations of processes or technologies.
• Analyses related to regulatory and legal framework.
• And several other types of analyses and studies.

Financial assistance is provided in the form of a non-repayable contribution of up to 40% of eligible project expenses, to a maximum of $100,000 per project, except for aluminum equipment manufacturers and processors, for which the maximum is $250,000 per project.

5. PME en action program – SME productivity support

Investissement Québec administers the PME en action program as an agent of the Quebec government.

Financial assistance is provided in the form of a non-repayable contribution of up to 40% of eligible project expenses, to a maximum of $50,000 per project. The cumulative total of government financial assistance for a project may not exceed 50% of the total project expenses. Artificial intelligence projects in human resources are among the eligible project types.

The program is open to for-profit businesses with a location in Quebec, including cooperatives and social economy companies with market activities in the following business sectors:

• Manufacturing;
• Services which include companies with high added value that make a significant contribution to the production of goods or use new technologies. The targeted companies generally operate in the following sectors:
  • Information and communication technologies.
  • Environmental services.
  • Creative and industrial design services.
  • Industrial and scientific service laboratories.
  • Private research services.
  • Value-added distribution centres.

6. ESSOR program – Support for investment projects track

The ESSOR program (Support for investment projects track) may take the form of a loan or, in some cases, a contribution. The financial assistance granted may represent a maximum of 15% or 25% of eligible expenses, depending on the nature of the project and the company’s business sector. Eligible projects must be at least $100,000 or $250,000, depending on certain criteria.

It is designed to support a variety investment projects, such as the creation of a new business, the expansion or modernization of an existing business, and equipment and software acquisition by retail or wholesale businesses.

The program is open to for-profit businesses, including cooperatives and social economy companies with market activities, in the following eligible business sectors:

• Manufacturing;
• Services which include companies with high added value that make a significant contribution to the production of goods or use new technologies. The targeted companies generally operate in the following sectors:
  • Software publishing.
  • Special effects and animation studios.
  • Value-added data centres.
  • Customer contact centres.
  • Environmental services.
  • Creative and industrial design services.
  • Industrial and scientific service laboratories.
  • Private research centres.
  • Value-added distribution centres.
  • Tourist accommodations (subject to certain restrictions).

As you can see, there are many programs and grants available to support digital transformation and the adoption of AI in your human resources. Some may not be listed in this article. Our consultants are always on the lookout for new opportunities for our clients. If you have an AI project for your HR, feel free to reach out to our team. We will help you structure your project and pursue the best opportunities.