The Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development is responsible for reviewing applications, establishing appropriate peer reviews, and making recommendations to the minister for approval of appropriate proposals. Every effort will be made to ensure a fair, timely and transparent approval process.

The review process for all B.C. Knowledge Development Fund proposals will consist of the three stages listed below:

Stage 1: Assessment of a Project’s Basic Eligibility

The ministry will establish a BCKDF committee to conduct an initial review of all applications received. This review will focus on the following criteria:

• Is the applicant an eligible institution?
• Was the application deadline met?
• Is the application form complete, including the proper signoff by applicant and partner institutions?
• Will the project bring about the modernization, development or acquisition of research infrastructure?
• Will the project be located in British Columbia? If not, are there clear benefits to British Columbia?
• If eligible for CFI funding, has this funding been applied for?
• Is funding available to cover the incremental operating costs of the infrastructure?
• Is there a reasonable expectation that research funding will be available in future years if the project is approved?

Stage 2: Assessment of the Project Against Provincial Objectives

All projects submitted to the BCKDF will be assessed by the fund’s committee on their degree of correlation with the five major objectives of the program. Appendix 1 provides a full description of the provincial review criteria and their relative weights.

Applicants will be informed if their proposals are rejected after either of the first two stages of the review process.

Stage 3: Proposal Content Review

For projects applying for both BCKDF and CFI funding that successfully complete the first two stages of the review process, the BCKDF committee will accept the results of CFI’s scientific and technical review process. To facilitate that process:

• Site reviews conducted by CFI for major projects, under the auspices of any of its funding mechanisms, will be conducted in the presence of a ministry representative.
• Applicants must provide the ministry with access to their CFI applications and any subsequent information as the ministry may request.

Recommendations for approval will be forwarded to the minister for final decision once the CFI and BCKDF reviews are completed. 

The Province reserves the right to decline any application for any reason, including, but not limited to lack of funds, projects deemed not to be in the public interest, projects in conflict with the priorities and policies of the Province, or projects raising ethical or other concerns.

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Download the Application Package

The British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund application form must be complete, must fulfill the fund assessment criteria, and must be able to stand on its own merits without reference to information that may be contained in the Canada Foundation for Innovation application.