Presentation on Moonshot for Mining Minerals and Manufacturing (M4M) Program

Presenter: John Sana, Director of Project Development at NGen Canada

Introduction

• Organization: NGen Canada (Next Generation Manufacturing Canada)
  • Not-for-profit corporation leading Canada's advanced manufacturing innovation cluster.
  • Promotes Canadian capabilities, makes connections, funds collaborative innovation, builds workforce & capacity management, modernizes manufacturing footprint.
  • Founded in 2017.
  • Visit their website: NGen Canada

Overview of M4M Program

• Objective: Support development of Institute Resource Utilization (ISRU) solutions for mining, mineral processing, and advanced manufacturing for lunar and Earth environments.
• Support: Financially supported by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
• Goal: Promote dual-use applications (Earth and space) and strengthen Canada's leadership in space & industrial sectors.

Key Pillars and Criteria for Projects

1. Process Innovation:
   • Must align with mining, mineral processing, or advanced manufacturing.
   • Must be dual-purpose (Earth and Moon).
   • Focus on advanced manufacturing technologies or transformative production processes.
2. Transformative:
   • Must include development of novel tools/techniques in advanced manufacturing.
   • Potential to provide a significant competitive advantage to Canadian industries.
3. Collaborative:
   • Requires collaboration with a minimum of two Canadian industry partners (at least one SME).
   • Academic research collaborations are encouraged.
4. Solution-Focused:
   • Must generate commercial/economic benefits (jobs creation, prosperity in Canada).
5. Enduring Benefits:
   • Provide broader benefits to Canada's space and advanced manufacturing ecosystem.

Out of Scope Projects

• Projects benefiting only a single firm/organization.
• Projects feasible without M4M funding.
• Projects solely focused on Earth or lunar without dual applications.
• Projects unrelated to mining, processing, or advanced manufacturing.
• Product design or minor changes to existing processes/products.
• Experimental/theoretical work or non-project-related capital investments.
• Anti-competitive activities.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be an NGen member (free membership).
• Registered Canadian business with value-added presence (not just a sales office).
• Eligible recipients: For-profit organizations, non-profits primarily funded by industry, non-federal Crown corporations, indigenous organizations.
• Project consortium of at least two unassociated industry partners, including one SME (less than 500 employees globally).

Project Funding Details

• Two Streams:
  • Stream 1: Projects between $250K – $500K.
  • Stream 2: Projects between $2.2M – $2.5M.
• Model: Reimbursement model funding (50% of eligible project costs).
• Eligible Project Costs:
  • Labor (partners' contributions)
  • Subcontracting (up to 40% of total project value)
  • Capital & Equipment (up to 30% of total project value)
  • Materials, Supplies, Travel, IP costs.
• Partnership Funding Limitation: No partner can receive more than 80% of NGen funding.
• Stackable Funding: 100% stacking limit.
• Project Duration: Must be completed by March 31, 2025.

Key Dates

• Program Launch: November 7.
• Round 1 Deadlines:
  • Expression of Interest: January 11, 2024.
  • Financial Due Diligence Documents: January 16, 2024.
  • Final Application: January 18, 2024.
• Round 2 Deadlines (if funding remains):
  • Expression of Interest: February 15, 2024.
  • Financial Due Diligence Documents: February 16, 2024.
  • Final Application: February 22, 2024.

Application Process

• Step 1: Become an NGen member (free).
• Step 2: Login to member portal and start application in Salesforce.
• Step 3: Submit Expression of Interest (EOI).
• Step 4: Review of scope and financial due diligence.
• Step 5: Submit full application for external assessment.
• Step 6: If funded, begin Contracting (approx. 2 months).

EOI Requirements

• Description of project proposal (~1000 words).
• Contact information for all partners.
• Signed application agreement by all partners.
• High-level financial proposal (cash contributions & funding sought).
• Declaration form for SMEs.

Full Application Requirements

• Response to eight application questions.
• Project plan (Gantt chart, risk register, IP tables, financial workbooks).

Support and Contact Information

• Support: NGen team available for project support and consultation.
• Contact: m4m@ngen.ca
• Resources: Templates and guides available on NGen website.

Final Remark

• Best of luck to all applicants.
• For questions, reach out via email or NGen website.