The Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN)’s WinterTech Development Program will support Ontario SMEs in the mobility space and their partners to validate, test, prototype and demonstrate new products and technologies designed to meet the unique demands of winter weather conditions. WinterTech will leverage the strengths and innovative capabilities of Ontario SMEs in the mobility space and our unique winter weather conditions to establish the province as a testbed for mobility products and services in severe winter weather conditions. Through AVIN’s WinterTech Development Program, Ontario is a global leader in the commercialization of new winter-ready mobility technologies and solutions.

Best suited for:

Applicant: 

• Small- or medium-sized enterprise (SME)  
• Required to have operations in Ontario 
• Companies who have received over $500,000 of OCI funding in their lifetime (excluding TalentEdge) are required to obtain OCI approval before a new application for funding is initiated. Your Business Development Manager can guide you through the process. 

Partners: 

• For-profit Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) 
• For-profit National and Multi-National Enterprises (NEs and MNEs) 
• Publicly-funded Post-Secondary Academic Institutions (secondary) 
• Municipalities 
• Indigenous Communities 
• Not-For-Profit Organizations 
• Required to have operations and carry out projects in Ontario 

Project: 

• Eligible projects require a minimum of two organizations: Generally, an SME – the Applicant – works with a Primary Partner (other than an Academic Institution).  Additional partners - Secondary Partners – can be any eligible organization and part of the team for strategic and commercial reasons. There is no limit on the number of partners. 
• Minimum 2:1 cash match by Applicants and/or Partners 
• Project activities are carried out in Ontario 
• MUST include testing and demonstration of actual products that can be showcased at events, on the road, and/or at customer sites. 
• Projects should be at Technology Readiness Level 5-7 
• Typical project activities include: technology/product/service validation, testing, demonstration and prototyping. 

Reference Documents:

• OCI Funding Agreement
• Eligible Expenditures Guide
• Sample EOI Questions
• Sample Proposal Questions (Note: This sample application template is for informational purposes only. Applications are only accepted through OCI’s online system where full application requirements are listed).
• Letter of Support Template
• AVIN Data and Information Sharing Protocol (DISP)