You have the innovators who want to get a bit of help to get that rough prototype refined and ready for scale-up to production, but at present, the one program that does support colleges in the applied research domain has a stream just for project supports. The turnaround time from application to decision averages nine months. For a small Canadian company, they could have been out of business six months ago by the time they get a decision, and there's no guarantee it will be a “yes”, because the demand outstrips supply so much.
As a taxpayer, I absolutely want to see the best projects funded, but how “best” is determined leaves a bit to be desired, especially with respect to industrial R and D. NRC IRAP does move a lot quicker. They can turn around a similar-sized decision within 30 days. In our own flagship program at Tech-Access Canada, in the interactive visits, we're averaging turnarounds in 48 hours and moving projects from request to completion in 51 days, so it is possible. It just requires the will to do so, and maybe avoiding the risk aversion that comes into ensuring that potentially bad things aren't funded; there's just got to be a line.