Successful applicant-partners will share proceeds from a new $35-million NGen fund and up to $60 million more in industry contributions

Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) has launched a new call for proposals from Canadian industry innovators to accelerate development of advanced manufacturing technologies throughout Canada’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) value chain.

NGen, the industry-led non-profit that leads the Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster, will support successful applicants with an investment of up to $35 million from a newly announced Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Value Chain Program (EVMP) fund.

Coupled with industry contributions, this process is expected to result in $95 million worth of innovative, business-led, collaborative projects that address critical innovation challenges needed to sustain the expansion of Canada’s EV supply base and ecosystem.

Time-sensitive opportunity

The program’s goal is to help Canada realize the full potential of the many recent, large-scale domestic and international investments in its burgeoning EV sector. Doing that, says NGen, requires new products, technologies and supply chain relationships.

“There is a critical and time-sensitive opportunity to scale-up and commercialize high-potential Canadian innovation and manufacturing capabilities — along the entire EV value chain, from the processing of minerals to the assembly of battery packs and vehicles — so that they are market ready for integration into the growing EV market,” reads the call for proposals press release.

This is NGen’s second round of ZEV manufacturing value chain funding. In 2021, its first call for proposals saw $76 million invested in 15 projects.

“We are helping to build a whole new industry here from critical minerals, sustainable processing, batteries, fuel cells, electronics, powertrain, advanced materials, and final assembly,” says Jayson Myers, CEO of NGen. “It will take collaboration and an ecosystem built on the best in research, advanced technologies, and manufacturing that Canada has to offer. That’s the strategic role that NGen will play. And, the time for investment couldn’t be better.”

Multiple focus areas

According to program details outlined on the EVMP web page, projects must be centred on the development of an advanced manufacturing technology or process to improve and scale-up production capabilities.

The page lists six areas of potential focus:

• Processing and production of critical minerals and materials for ZEV components
• Traction battery and battery management systems
• Hydrogen fuel cell (full system)
• Significant vehicle light weighting
• Power electronics
• Electric machines and drives

Applicants are also advised to pay close attention to NGen’s four core strategic criteria, which require projects to be:

• Transformative (must confer significant competitive advantage to Canadian industry)
• Collaborative (must demonstrate meaningful collaboration with a minimum of two Canadian industry partners)
• Applied (must have a short to medium path to commercialization)
• Enduring (must provide broader benefits to Canada’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem)

The EVMP project application portal opens on June 23. Expressions of interest will be accepted until Oct. 11. The final application deadline is Nov. 15.