Canada-UK Power Forward Challenge Additional Guidance Document for Canada-based project submissions

In response to a number of inquiries on the application process for Canada-based projects, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) prepared this guidance document to support the preparation of your proposals. This document is a complement to the Power Forward Challenge Applicant Guide, which we encourage you to read carefully as it covers all details on the Challenge and how to apply for both Canada and UK-based projects.

Application Package Requirements and Guidelines

The following section outlines the components that should form each Application Package:

Online Web Form:

  • In order to apply, eligible teams with a Canadian-based project must fill the Canadian Application Form available online on the Impact Canada website. This web form requests high-level information on your organization and project – please make sure you respond to each question.

Attachment #1 - Financial Form:

  • Applicants must include a completed Canada-UK Power Forward Challenge Financial Form. The financial form provides a detailed analysis to support expected costs and must be downloaded, completed, and attached to applicants' full submissions.

In addition to the financial form, applicants can include up to five (5) more attachments, which we recommend should be structured as follows:

Attachment #2 - Detailed Response to the Evaluation Criteria:

  • This document should be structured in the format of Sections 2.1 to 2.10 in the Applicant’s Guide, responding directly to the evaluation criteria areas addressing as many of the questions as possible and adding complementary information where applicable.
  • We strongly encourage you to adhere to these upper word limits for the following sections in order to facilitate the effective evaluation of your responses:
 
Section 2.1 (Feasibility)
1000 words
 
Section 2.2 (Consortium Building)
1000 words
 
Section 2.3 (Tech Innovation)
3000 words
 
Section 2.4 (Interoperability)
1500 words
 
Section 2.5/2.6 (Business Model/Business Innovation)
2000 words(combined)
 
Section 2.7 (Consumer Engagement)
1500 words
 
Section 2.8 (Timelines)
1000 words
 
Section 2.9 (Economic Benefits)
500 words
 
Section 2.10 (Project Specifics)
500 words

Attachment #3 - Supporting documentation for Eligibility:

  • As noted in Section 1.4 of the Applicant’s Guide, all items requested in Annex F - Financial Risk Assessment are required. These should be combined into one document to serve as proof of eligibility. Note that further documentation for eligibility may be requested should you be successful in the first stage of the evaluation process (e.g., certificate of status or compliance, articles of incorporation).  

Attachment #4 - Supporting documentation for Partnership Requirements (Maximum 5 pages):

  • This attachment should focus on clearly outlining how your team meets the minimum and maximum thresholds (%) for UK partnersFootnote 1: Any documentation (e.g., agreements in place, letters of support) proving that you meet the minimal and maximum thresholds for UK partners should be combined into one document and attached to the submission. We do note that details on the distribution of tasks and costs between Canadian and UK partners, as well as information  will be reflected in the Detailed Proposal and Financial Form where applicable and invite you to cross reference this information where appropriate. We also encourage you to consider that the quality of partnerships you establish with UK organizations as well as your business model will be evaluated relative to the other teams competing in the Challenge (e.g., the extent to which partners strengthen the capacity of the project solution, the extent to which the project solution support the development of bilateral value chains between Canadian and UK entities).
  • Support from a grid operator or other host site: Any documentation (e.g., agreements in place, letters of support) proving that you have support from a host organization for your pilot-scale demonstration should be combined into one document and attached to the submission – this will factor into the evaluation of the feasibility of the project. Note that a formal agreement with a host site will be required should you be successful in the first stage of the evaluation process.

Attachment #5 - Consent for Information Sharing (please complete and attach Annex A of the Applicant’s Guide)

  • As part of the Power Forward Challenge process, NRCan is engaging with a number of other organizations to identify complimentary or alternative sources of funding and support for Challenge participants. The consent for information sharing forms will allow us to effectively engage these other organizations on your application to maximize the impact of the Program.
  • Note, we will not be sharing any information from Attachment #3, such as financial statements and other sensitive documentation.

Attachment #6 – Risk Mitigation Plan (Maximum 5 pages):

  • See section 1.3 of the Applicant’s Guide for details.

Other Key Considerations

Section 1.2 of the Applicant Guide: provides an overview of elements that should be included in your detailed proposal. You do not need to respond directly to this section, but it should be used as a reference to ensure that all elements of this section are covered in your overall submission package.

Evaluation Criteria: The weight (%) given to each evaluation criteria area is shown in the Application Guide, which gives a clear indication where we will focus our evaluation. Consideration may also be given to factors that would help meet the overall Challenge objectives and increase their impact, such as regional diversity and representation. Sections 2.8 to 2.10 are not assigned weighting, but we encourage you to provide high-quality responses to these sections as they will be given consideration by our reviewers.

Deadline: Applications must be complete and submitted online by March 15, 2019 (11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time). Any proposal received after this time and/or through another medium will not be considered for evaluation. Please note that technical support will only be available during office hours, which is why we encourage you not to wait until the last minute to submit your application.

Eligible Costs: For projects based in Canada, payments will be made against achievement of key milestones as outlined in the detailed proposal and supported by the details in the Financial Form. Please note that costs to be covered by Federal contribution funds must be directly related to, and necessary for, the implementation and conduct of a project. That includes (but is not limited to) salaries and benefits for personnel, contracting services, travel expenditures, rent/leasing, capital expenditures for equipment, materials and products, etc. That does not include the purchase of land, which cannot be covered by NRCan’s contribution.

For further guidance or clarification, please contact the Challenge team at nrcan.cleantechimpact-impacttechpropres.rncan@canada.ca.


Return to footnote 1 referrer For Canada-based projects, a minimum of 20% of the amount received from NRCan (CAN$3M) must cover work completed by organizations from the UK; a maximum of 49% of the total project cost for each project can be incurred by organizations based outside of Canada; and companies from either country which establish a presence in the other country in order to lead a proposed project will be considered to be eligible to address the minimum partnership working threshold (20%), and will be exempt from the upper partnership threshold (49%).