Regional Homebuilding Innovation Initiative (RHII) in the Prairie Provinces - 2. Who is eligible

Eligibility checklist

You must meet all the following criteria to be eligible for this program.

• You’re a growing business that is scaling up and producing innovative goods, services, or technologies in the home building industry.
• You’re incorporated to conduct business in Canada.
• You’ve been in business for at least 2 years in Canada.
• You have staffed operating facilities in the Prairie provinces.
• You have confirmed, at the time of expression of interest submission, funding from all other sources, including government and non-government (non-government funding must represent at least 50% of the proposed project costs).

Eligible activities

Your project must focus on advancing innovative homebuilding solutions and boosting manufacturing efficiency in the homebuilding sector through activities such as:

• Productivity Improvement: Investing in manufacturing and construction technology to increase productivity and accelerate housing production, such as modular, mass timber construction, and panelized construction.
• Business Scale-up: Adapting, adopting, and scaling innovative construction methods such as prefabrication/modular construction (designing and upscaling) and 3D printing.
• Technology Commercialization: Investing in innovation, demonstration, commercialization and/or uptake of new materials and methods for residential home construction and its supply chains (e.g., technology acquisition, automation, energy efficiencies), that accelerate home construction.

Eligible costs

Eligible costs under the program are incremental, relevant, reasonable and essential to carrying out the eligible project activities. Eligible costs can include the following:

• capital costs (e.g. purchase of machinery or equipment)
• labour (e.g. wages and benefits)
• marketing
• costs related to intellectual property
• technology development and commercial demonstrations (technology readiness levels of 7-9)
• professional, advisory and technical services

Costs may be eligible on a retroactive basis up to a 12-month period prior to the receipt of a signed funding application, but no earlier than April 16, 2024.

Ineligible costs

Costs that are deemed unreasonable, non-incremental, and/or not directly related to the project are ineligible for funding. Ineligible costs can include, but are not limited to, the following:

• basic and applied R&D (technology readiness levels 1-6)
• land acquisition and goodwill
• salary bonuses and dividend payments
• refinancing of existing debts
• amortization or depreciation of assets
• lobbying activities
• entertainment expenses
• donations, dues, and membership fees