Also called IRAP, PARI, industrial technology advisor
What is NRC IRAP?
A federal programme that gives small and medium companies both money and hands-on technical advice for innovation projects.
What else it is called
- Other names
- IRAP, PARI, industrial technology advisor
- In French
- PARI CNRC
Related entries
Understanding industrial Research Assistance Program
The National Research Council runs a programme that supports innovation projects in small and medium-sized Canadian businesses with non-repayable contributions towards salaries and contractor costs. The usual ceiling for a small project is in the hundreds of thousands, with larger projects possible, and the contribution typically covers a share of eligible costs rather than the whole bill.
The feature that distinguishes it is the industrial technology advisor assigned to the company. They are technically trained, they visit, and they connect companies to research expertise and to other programmes. Manufacturers who have used it frequently say the introductions mattered more than the money.
You can use it and the research tax credit together, though the interaction needs handling: a contribution received reduces the expenditure base for a tax credit claim, so the two should be planned together rather than claimed independently.
In practice
Start with a call to an advisor rather than a written application. The programme is designed around that conversation, and projects get shaped in it.
Frequently asked
Can we use this and claim the research tax credit?
Yes, but they interact. Government assistance reduces the pool of expenditures on which a tax credit is calculated, so the net benefit is not simply the two added together. Plan them with an advisor who understands both.