Investissement Québec ESSOR — Volet 2 : Chantier Productivité

Investissement Québec ESSOR — Volet 2 : Chantier Productivité is sponsored by Investissement Québec. Program providing interest-free refundable loans, with forgivable top-ups for exceptional productivity gains, to accelerate Quebec businesses' productivity growth through technology adoption and equipment modernization.

Investissement Québec ESSOR — Volet 2 : Chantier Productivité — Eligibility, Funding & How to Apply | GrantCompass Updated August 2026 · Verified against Investissement Québec (MEIE program — Cadre normatif ESSOR 2025-2027, Décret 324-2025) guidelines Investissement Québec ESSOR — Volet 2 : Chantier Productivité Investissement Québec (MEIE program — Cadre normatif ESSOR 2025-2027, Décret 324-2025) Ongoing until the normative framework expires March 31, 2027 Visit Official Program → Investissement Québec ESSOR — Volet 2 : Chantier Productivité provides Up to $10,000,000 of budgetary impact per project — repayable contribution (loan, interest-free loan, participating loan, royalty-repayable loan or forgivable loan) or a loan guarantee of up to 70% of net loss; a non-repayable contribution is available in specific cases.

Repayable contribution — loan, interest-free loan, participating loan, royalty-repayable loan or forgivable loan — or a loan guarantee covering up to 70% of net loss, to accelerate Quebec businesses' productivity growth through technology adoption, equipment modernization, and Industry 4. 0 transitions. The program covers up to 25% of eligible costs.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis . Approval odds: ~35–50% (GrantCompass analysis) Do you qualify for this loan? Get your instant eligibility verdict plus a head start on the application.

Free, no account needed. First, where is your business based? We use this program’s real eligibility rules.

4 short questions follow. Want your full match picture across 850+ programs? Take the 2-minute quiz → What this program funds and who can apply Repayable contribution — loan, interest-free loan, participating loan, royalty-repayable loan or forgivable loan — or a loan guarantee covering up to 70% of net loss, to accelerate Quebec businesses' productivity growth through technology adoption, equipment modernization, and Industry 4.

0 transitions. A non-repayable contribution is also available in specific cases. Refreshed on April 1, 2025 under Décret 324-2025 with a ceiling of $10M of budgetary impact per project.

Open to legally constituted for-profit companies and social economy enterprises registered in Quebec and carrying on activity there, investing at least $100K in equipment, software, cloud, AI, or building modernization. The normative framework expires March 31, 2027.

Legally constituted for-profit company or social economy enterprise within the meaning of the Loi sur l'économie sociale Registered in Quebec (immatriculée au Québec) and carrying on an activity there — a foreign firm must be registered in Quebec and commit to operating there within 12 months of authorization Total project eligible expenses of at least $100,000 At least 20% of total project cost must come from private sources (BDC, FAC and FADQ financing counts as private for stacking purposes) Project must demonstrate a minimum 20% increase in fixed assets OR equivalent economic impact (jobs, exports, productivity) Project must start within 6 months of authorization (12 months for projects over $10M or creating 100+ jobs) Project implementation within 5 years (3 years preferred) Consistent with sector priorities of the MEIE strategy Businesses with 25 or more Quebec employees for at least 6 months must hold an OQLF francization certificate or an attestation of registration with the OQLF (the threshold dropped from 50 to 25 employees on June 1, 2025) Must not be listed on the Registre des entreprises non admissibles aux contrats publics (RENA), under Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act or Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act protection, or state-owned or government-controlled Not operating in an excluded sector or a prohibited business domain (see ineligible organizations) Up to $10,000,000 of budgetary impact per project — repayable contribution (loan, interest-free loan, participating loan, royalty-repayable loan or forgivable loan) or a loan guarantee of up to 70% of net loss; a non-repayable contribution is available in specific cases Up to 25% of eligible costs Ongoing until the normative framework expires March 31, 2027 Competition, effort, and approval at a glance See your real odds on this program — and exactly what it takes to win it.

Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like Understand which instrument you are asking for before you ask. See what trips up most applicants for this program — and how to avoid it. See what successful applicants for this program actually look like.

See exactly what lenders look for — so you know where to focus. The pitfalls, the checklist and the reviewer notes are in the Playbook below. See what it includes ↓ Everything you need to secure Investissement Québec ESSOR — Volet 2 : Ch...

Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.

9-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes 7-step application timeline with prep hours per step Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners 5-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what lenders look for Premium covers every program, plus the workspace that walks you through each application.

Just this one program? Unlock the Playbook alone — $19 Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses Engage IQ Account Director Contact your Investissement Québec account director or call 1-844-474-6367. Describe the productivity project, the investment amount, and company financials at a high level.

IQ will confirm which ESSOR Volet (1/2/3/4) fits. ✓ Business plan and investment dossier detailing the productivity project ✓ Financial statements (last 3 fiscal years) for the Quebec entity Get the step-by-step application guide — documents, timeline, and what to prepare.

Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential SR&ED Tax Credits (federal + Quebec RS&DE) NGen (Next Generation Manufacturing Supercluster) Investissement Québec — Chantier Industrie 4. 0 Fondaction and Fonds de solidarité FTQ financing Combined Funding Potential See your total funding potential See which programs combine with this one — and how much more you could get.

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org microdata attributes (itemscope/itemtype/itemprop) here. GSC flagged "Duplicate field 'FAQPage'" on every active grant page on 2026-05-03 when JSON-LD + microdata both declared FAQPage. --> Can sole proprietors apply for Volet 2?

No — the applicant must be a legally constituted for-profit company or a social economy enterprise, registered in Quebec and carrying on activity there. Sole proprietors must incorporate to qualify. There is no minimum revenue requirement.

What's the typical project size for approval? Most approvals range $500K–$5M. IQ's own assistance is capped at 25% of eligible expenses (measured as budgetary impact) and all government assistance combined at 50% of project cost.

Projects under $500K are rare; the $10M ceiling is $10M of budgetary impact and is reserved for major transformations. Do I need to be incorporated before applying? Yes — sole proprietors must incorporate first.

The program requires a legally constituted entity registered in Quebec and carrying on an activity there (or a foreign firm registered in Quebec that commits to operating there within 12 months of authorization). Why do applications get rejected for productivity metrics? Weak case for 20%+ fixed-asset increase or equivalent economic impact (jobs, exports, productivity).

Must show measurable pre/post metrics — not just vague claims. Can I stack with SR&ED for R&D components? Yes — SR&ED can claim R&D portions of the project, but ESSOR assistance reduces the SR&ED base dollar-for-dollar, and all government assistance combined is capped at 50% of project cost.

Track both carefully. Full Playbook: Investissement Québec ESSOR — Volet 2 : Ch... 7 steps · 9 docs · reviewer insights