Notice: The Water Industry Growth Program is now fully subscribed.
We would like to thank all applicants for their interest in the Water Industry Growth Program. We have reached our maximum capacity for this program – a testament to the strength of the water ecosystem in Southern Ontario.
A complete list of supported projects is available here.
OWC is committed to fostering innovation and collaboration within the industry. We are actively working on building future programming that will further support the sector and its stakeholders.
This program officially concluded on March 31, 2024.
Water Industry Growth Program
OWC’s Water Industry Growth (WIG) Program’s objective is to support technology development and adoption within the sector, leading to accelerated growth, further investment by companies, more job creation, greater market competitiveness and long-term resilience of Southern Ontario companies addressing water challenges at the intersection of climate change, sustainability, and society.
Technology Advancement
Funding is available to Southern Ontario companies that are advancing technologies addressing water challenges at the intersection of climate change, sustainability, and society.
Proposed projects should be designed to overcome a critical gap in technology commercialization.
Examples of projects* include:
• Advanced product development,
• Design and construction of pilot/demonstration equipment,
• Piloting/Demonstration projects,
• Certification/verification to support product and/or technology development.
* Projects solely for the purposes of disseminating information, marketing, attracting new customers or any other business development-related activity are not eligible.
Digital Transformation & Transition
Funding is available to Southern Ontario companies to adopt digital solutions that shrink environmental footprint, upgrading their business processes or improve web presence. Proposed projects should be designed to overcome a critical gap in adopting digital solutions that enable a transition to greener business practices or improve productivity.
Examples of projects include:
• Updating production or manufacturing processes that reduce waste, GHG emissions, water consumption or wastewater production, leading to lower overhead costs and shrinking their environmental footprint.
• Upgrading business processes, supporting better decision making and improved sales and marketing efforts (e.g., Enterprise Resource Planning software or Customer Relationship Management).
• Enhancing web presence, improving digital marketing, and enabling search engine optimization projects, all allowing to reach more potential customers.
Key Program Details
All applications must be submitted by 30 June, 2023.
All eligible project expenses must be incurred and paid by 1 March, 2024.
Please note that consideration of applications may be terminated at any time if funding is fully allocated.
Applications will be reviewed for completeness and against the WIG Program Guidelines.
A notice of the decision will be sent to applicants within 4-6 weeks of submission.
Funding
WIG may provide projects with a contribution of up to $100,000 CAD towards eligible project costs. Project funds are awarded on a reimbursement basis only.
Company Matching Contribution
Companies are required to provide a minimum of a 1:1 matching contribution. Cash or cash-equivalent, or a combination of both, will be accepted.
Eligibility Criteria to Apply
OWC Partnership
Applicants are required to be an OWC Industry Partner. OWC offers many benefits, programs, opportunities and curated services for its industry partners.
Company profile
Companies applying for to the WIG program program must be a Canadian for-profit company incorporated federally or incorporated in Ontario and must have a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 499 paid employees to qualify as a Small or Medium-sized enterprise.
Location
Companies must have a presence in Southern Ontario.
Benefits & Activities
Companies must demonstrate that the project activities and resulting economic benefits will occur in Southern Ontario.
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