Funding Program Presentation - Moonshot for Mining, Minerals, and Manufacturing (M4M Cube)

Jun 28, 2024

Lecture Notes: Funding Program Presentation - Moonshot for Mining, Minerals, and Manufacturing (M4M Cube)

Presenter Information

  • Name: John Sana
  • Position: Director of Project Development
  • Organization: Engen Canada

Overview of Engen Canada

  • Full Name: Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen)
  • Type: Not-for-profit corporation
  • Mandate: Leading Canada's advanced manufacturing capabilities
    • Key Activities:
      • Promote Canadian capabilities
      • Fund collaborative innovation
      • Build workforce and capacity management
      • Modernize manufacturing footprint
  • Founded: 2017
  • Website: Engen Canada

Moonshot for Mining, Minerals, and Manufacturing (M4M Cube) Program

  • Objective: Support development of Novel In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) solutions for mining, mineral processing, & advanced manufacturing for both lunar and Earth environments
  • Financial Support: Canadian Space Agency (CSA)
  • Goals:
    • Dual-use applications on Earth and in space
    • Strengthen Canada's leadership in space
    • Revitalize long-term competitiveness of key industrial sectors

Key Pillars and Criteria for Engen Projects

  1. Process Innovation: Must align to mining, mineral processing, or advanced manufacturing; dual-purpose (Earth and Moon)
  2. Transformative: Development of novel advanced manufacturing tools/techniques offering competitive advantage
  3. Collaborative: Minimum of two Canadian industry partners (at least one SME with less than 500 employees globally); academic research collaborations encouraged
  4. Solution-Focused: Generate commercial and economic benefits, path to commercialization, job creation
  5. Enduring: Provide broader benefits to Canada's space and manufacturing ecosystem

Out-of-Scope Projects

  • Activities benefiting only one firm/organization
  • Projects feasible without M4M funding
  • Earth-only or lunar-only projects
  • Non-linked to mining, processing, or advanced manufacturing
  • Product development/design or routine changes
  • Experimental/theoretical work
  • Full-scale production activities or anti-competitive actions

Eligibility to Apply

  • Engen Membership: Free to join
  • Registered Business Criteria: Value-added presence in Canada, for-profit or industry-funded non-profit, non-federal crown corporations, indigenous organizations
  • Project Consortium Requirements: At least two unassociated industry partners, one small-medium enterprise (under 500 employees globally), demonstrate path to commercialization

Project Development Streams

  • Stream 1: Project value between $250K - $500K
  • Stream 2: Project value between $2.2M - $2.5M
  • Reimbursement Model: 50% of eligible project costs
    • Eligible Costs: Labor, subcontracting, capital/equipment, materials, supply, travel, IP costs
    • Collaboration Requirement: One partner cannot receive more than 80% of funding
    • Stacking Limit: 100%, other funding sources allowed
    • Completion Deadline: March 31, 2025

Key Dates

  • Round 1:
    • Expression of Interest: January 11, 2024
    • Financial Due Diligence: January 16, 2024
    • Final Application: January 18, 2024
  • Round 2 (if applicable):
    • Expression of Interest: February 15, 2024
    • Financial Due Diligence: February 16, 2024
    • Final Application: February 22, 2024

Application Process Steps

  1. Become an Engen Member: Free at Engen Canada Join
  2. Submit Expression of Interest: Screening in Salesforce portal
  3. Review of Scope and Financial Due Diligence: If passed, submit full application
  4. Funding Decision and Contracting: Takes about two months

Screening Requirements

  • Project Description: ~1000 words
  • Partner Contacts: Lead and finance partner for each partner
  • Signed Application Agreement: By all partners
  • Financial Proposal: Cash contributions and Engen funding sought
  • Declaration Form: For SMEs

Full Application Requirements

  • Responses to 8 Application Questions: Stream 1 (4000 characters each), Stream 2 (7000 characters each)
  • Project Plan: Gantt chart, risk register, IP tables, financial workbooks per partner

Support and Resources

  • Engen Team Support: Available for project idea discussions, collaboration facilitation
  • Contact Information: M4M@ngen.ca
  • Resources: Official guides, templates on Engen Canada Website
  • Best of Luck to Applicants