1. Objective and Funding: With an allocation of $4 billion to support SMEs in theirdigital transformation journey.
2. Boost Your Business Technology Grant: CDAP is the "Boost Your Business Technology" grant. This grant allows eligible applicants to receive up to $15,000.This funding is intended to retain a Digital advisor and to offset the costs of planning and implementing digital transformation strategies.
3. Impact on SMEs and the Canadian Economy: The program aims to support up to 160,000 (SMBs) in adopting new technologies. This initiative is not only about enhancing the digital capabilities of SMEs but also about stimulating economic growth and creating job opportunities for young Canadians.
Think you’re ready to take advantage of the Canada Digital Adoption program, but don’t know where to start? Here, we provide clarity on the most common points of confusion, what you can get from the Boost Your Business Technology Grant, and how Automacy can help you through every step of the process.
The owner or director of your organization can apply or, beginning June 1, 2023, assign a representative to submit most of the application on your behalf. Our team can guide you through the process, review your application, provide feedback to maximize your likelihood of success, and answer any questions you have.
The Government of Canada has outlined four mandatory criteria for eligible applicants:
- Incorporated at the national or provincial level; or be a Canadian resident sole proprietor.
- Privately-owned for-profit entity
- Maximum 499 full time equivalent employees
- At least $500,000 and not more than $100 million in revenue in one (1) of the past three (3) tax years.
The Government of Canada will reimburse you for up to 90 percent of eligible expenses, up to $15,000. Once your Automacy advisor has completed work on your digital adoption plan you will submit the relevant invoices to receive your grant payment.
You are not eligible for the $15,000 Boost Your Business Technology Grant if you already have a digital adoption plan developed through one of the following programs in the last 12 months:
- Programme Audit Industrie 4.0
- Digital Boost 2.0
- Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency: Digital Acceleration Pilot
However, you may qualify for the Fast-Track option and be eligible to apply for a $100,000 interest free loan through BDC to continue your digital transformation journey. All program eligibility requirement still apply.
The Government of Canada has a list of partners in its Digital Advisor Marketplace who you can work with. Automacy is an approved vendor for the Canada Digital Adoption Program.
Automacy has assembled a dedicated team of transformation advisors with extensive experience helping small and medium-sized business achieve their transformation objectives. You’ll work with a senior digital strategist as a primary point of contact. This individual will recruit support from our internal teams as necessary to help develop a tailored and comprehensive transformation plan that’s ready for deployment.
You must apply for the grant directly. However, our team can guide you through the process, review your application, provide feedback to maximize your likelihood of success. and answer any questions you have.
Yes! We know some questions may be difficult to answer depending on your experience with and understanding of digital technologies. An Automacy advisor would be more than happy to walk you through the assessment and clarify any sections that you may struggle with.
You need to submit your digital adoption plan and invoices to the federal government for reimbursement within nine (9) months of being approved for funding. Though, in most cases Automacy can help you develop your technology roadmap much sooner — typically within several weeks of signing your engagement contract.
Your digital adoption plan is a comprehensive assessment of the opportunities to improve your business by leveraging modern hardware and platforms. Specific deliverables you will receive from Automacy include:
- Current state analysis
- Post transformation capability report
- Summary of proposed digital solutions, including a cost / benefit analysis of your top three options and high-level requirements
- Near- and long-term digital strategy
- Implementation roadmap, including timelines, costs, and required capabilities
No. The Boost Your Business Technology grant is intended to assess your digital maturity and opportunities to increase your competitiveness through digital transformation. Eligible costs are limited to those involved with creating your digital adoption plan, including:
- Advisor fees, commissions, and charges associated with creating your digital adoption plan
- Applicable federal and provincial sales taxes associated with fees charged by the advisor
Your digital adoption plan will provide a comprehensive roadmap of your priorities, including timelines, budgets, and a cost benefit analysis of relevant platforms and strategies. This would be the end of our engagement from a Canada Digital Adoption Program perspective. However, it is merely the beginning of your overall transformation journey.
We look forward to continuing with you through the implementation phases. Having already formed a deep understanding of your transformation needs, engaging our team will make for a seamless transition from planning to execution. As a full-service firm, we have the people, expertise, and relationships in place to ensure you get the best return on your digital investment.
Businesses may qualify for a $7,300 wage subsidy to hire either a current student or recent graduate as part of a digital transformation or adoption initiative. As this is part of the Boost Your Business Technology track, the same eligibility criteria and process to access funds will apply. In most cases, this option would be most beneficial during the implementation phase, after you’ve created a digital adoption strategy.
No. The Canada Digital Adoption program is offering up to $2,400 to 90,000 Canadian small businesses seeking to develop their e-commerce presence. However, this work is typically outside the scope of Automacy’s focus, and we are not registered as an e-commerce advisor as part of this grant offering.
Yes. You may apply for each company individually, provided each is a separate legal entity and meets the eligibility criteria.
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