ENCQOR 5G TalentEdge Internships

The TalentEdge Internship Program (TIP) stream of the ENCQOR 5G Program provides support for current college and university students and recent undergraduate or Masters graduates, to work on industry-driven research and development projects related to 5G, wireless and digital technologies at Ontario-based SMEs, preferably using the 5G Innovation Platform as a Service (iPaaS) testbed. Companies can tap into world-class talent coming out of Ontario's publicly-funded post-secondary institutions and strengthen their capacity to develop new 5G products, services and processes, while interns receive hands-on industry experience to excel in the digital economy.

Program Summary

Program Name

ENCQOR 5G - TalentEdge Internship Program (TIP)

Program Status and Submission Deadline

Closed for Applications

What it Supports

Support for Ontario college and university students, and recent graduates, to work on industry-driven R&D projects that are part of the ENCQOR 5G Program

Project Sector

Open

Basic Eligibility Criteria

(A full list of eligibility requirements is available.)

Intern:

  • Final-year undergraduate student; Masters or PhD student; or within three years of graduation from an undergraduate or Masters program from an Ontario college or university

Applicant:

  • For-profit company with operations in Ontario
  • Small- or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) with fewer than 500 total employees

Project:

OCE Funding

$10,000 per four-month unit, to the applicant company. Maximum of $60,000 (six units) for the lifetime of the program, per company.

Project Duration

Four months per unit, up to 24 months total per project. See Eligibility tab for details on maximum units per internship type.

Matching Requirement

$5,000 cash plus $5,000 in-kind from the company per four-month unit

How to Apply

See details on the How to Apply tab.

Contact

For further assistance, see details on the Contacts tab.
More program information

Program Overview and Benefits

The TalentEdge Internship Program (TIP) stream of the ENCQOR 5G Program provides support for current college and university students and recent undergraduate or Masters graduates, to work on industry-driven research and development projects related to 5G, wireless and digital technologies at Ontario-based SMEs preferably using the 5G Innovation Platform as a Service (iPaaS) testbed or responding to an ENCQOR 5G SME Technology Development Challenge in partnership with one of the ENCQOR Anchor Firms. Companies can tap into world-class talent coming out of Ontario's publicly-funded post-secondary institutions and strengthen their capacity to develop new products, services and processes, while interns receive hands-on industry experience to excel in the digital economy.

Benefits to Companies

Benefits to Interns

Benefits to Companies

  • Gain access to cutting-edge knowledge, new talent, unique facilities and equipment to extend company R&D capabilities
  • Create solutions to current industry challenges, leading to increased productivity, cost savings, revenue and job creation
  • Develop and retain top talent in Ontario

Benefits to Interns

  • Gain valuable, hands-on experience
  • Use knowledge and innovative ideas to help solve real-world R&D challenges
  • Establish relationships with industry and within OCE's networks
  • Gain access to work on project leveraging the ENCQOR 5G iPaaS testbed

How Funding Works

OCE Contribution

$10,000 per four-month unit for eligible project costs, up to $60,000 (six units)

Industry Partner Contribution

$10,000 ($5,000 cash plus $5,000 in-kind) minimum per four-month unit

Of the total $20,000 per unit, the intern MUST receive a minimum cash compensation of $15,000. The remainder may be used for direct project costs.

Funding Recipient

Applicant company

Institutional Overhead

Not eligible

Eligibility Requirements

Intern

  • Undergraduate level:
    • Undergraduate students in their final of study (registered at an accredited College or University in Ontario)
    • Or recent graduates from an undergraduate program from an accredited College/University (within three years of graduation)
  • Graduate level:
    • Current Masters and PhD students (registered at an accredited College or University in Ontario)
    • Recent Masters graduates from an accredited College/University (within three years of graduation)
  • For institution-based internships, the intern must have active status at the academic institution for the duration of the internship
  • For company-based internships, the intern must be eligible to work in Ontario (residence of Ontario) and have employee status at the company for the duration of the internship
  • Consecutive internships may be held
  • The intern may not apply with a company where there is any conflict of interest, including, but not limited to, a company where the intern or relatives have any control as a major creditor or shareholder or governing board member
  • Interns may not apply if they are currently enrolled in a co-op program or other equivalent job placement/employement program
  • The intern may not apply if, at the time of application submission, they are a current or past employee (within the last six months) of the company (including consultants, contract position, part-time, etc.)
  • Interns may hold a maximum of internship units as mentioned in the table below:

    • Educational Status

    Maximum Number of 4-Month Units per Intern
    Current final-year undergraduate student 3
    Recent graduate 3
    Current Masters student 3
    Recent Masters graduate 3
    Current PhD student 6

Company

  • For-profit, incorporated in Ontario or Canada, and has a valid
    CRA business number The 9-digit business number (BN) is a common client identifier for businesses to simplify their dealings with federal, provincial, and municipal governments. The BN is the first nine digits of your company’s HST account number. The BN for your company may be verified at one of the following links: Industry Canada or CRA.
    *Note that your CRA designated 9 digit BN will differ from your Government of Ontario designated Corporation number.
  • Small- or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) with fewer than 500 total employees
  • Developing 5G, wireless or digital technology-based innovation or innovative processes for competitive advantage in provincial, national and/or global markets in response to an ENCQOR 5G SME Technology Development Challenge Statement or, preferably, utilizing the iPaaS testbed.
  • Has operations and/or R&D in Ontario related to the project
    • Has the intent and potential to apply, exploit and/or commercialize the results of the project for the economic benefit of Ontario
    • Has the necessary expertise and resources to put the project into effect within an appropriate time frame
  • In good financial and reporting standing with OCE
  • Applicants can apply for multiple interns in the same application up to a maximum of six ENCQOR 5G TalentEdge internship units per company over the lifetime of the ENCQOR program (i.e. maximum of $60,000 in OCE contribution per company). This applies to ENCQOR 5G TalentEdge internships only including units associated with the ENCQOR 5G Demonstration Program, the ENCQOR 5G SME Technology Development Program and ENCQOR 5G iPaaS access projects. Previously awarded TalentEdge units from other OCE program streams do not count toward the six unit maximum.

Project

  • Defined project with clear activities, milestones and outcomes, to be executed within the duration of the internship (not a "first job"-type placement)
  • Has an R&D component related to 5G, wireless or digital technologies, preferably using the iPaaS testbed or responding to an ENCQOR 5G SME Technology Development Challenge Statement
  • Proposed internship activities must be coupled with an existing ENCQOR 5G project in one of the following program streams:
  • Interns will receive on-the-job training in areas related to 5G, wireless or digital technologies
  • Commensurate with the intern's experience and expertise
  • Maximum of six units over the lifetime of the program, per company (i.e. maximum $60,000 in OCE contribution for the lifetime of the program, per company)
  • Intellectual property (IP) arising from the project will be managed by the project participants; OCE does not claim or manage IP rights. The parties are bound by the IP terms of the company where the intern is an employee for the duration of the internship
  • Participants MUST enter into an agreement with OCE and cooperate in providing project outcomes and metrics, annually at a minimum
  • View a list of eligible expenses
More program information

How to Apply

Program Status: Closed for applications

  1. If you are ready to start applying for the ENCQOR 5G - TalentEdge Internship Program stream as a stand alone application, please click the appropriate button to complete the Eligibility Questionnaire*.





    *The applicant company should complete the Eligibility Questionnaire when ready to apply for funding. Companies that do not have a research partner or intern, or wish to find out more about ENCQOR 5G or other OCE programs, should submit a generic Client Intake Form.

    Please note: completion of this Eligibility Questionnaire does not constitute an application for funding.

  2. OCE will review the Eligibility Questionnaire within one to two business days. If the applicant, intern and project meet the program eligibility criteria, you will be sent a link to OCE's online application system, AccessOCE.
  3. Complete the online application form and upload the required supporting documents.
    • Required supporting documents:
      • Company Profile submitted by the applicant company, including valid nine-digit
        CRA business number The 9-digit business number (BN) is a common client identifier for businesses to simplify their dealings with federal, provincial, and municipal governments. The BN is the first nine digits of your company’s HST account number. The BN for your company may be verified at one of the following links: Industry Canada or CRA.
        *Note that your CRA designated 9 digit BN will differ from your Government of Ontario designated Corporation number.
        , incorporation date and number of employees (globally and in Ontario)
      • Intern's CV
      • Intern's official transcript

    For assistance, please see the following resources:

  4. OCE will internally review the application within approximately one week for eligibility, completeness and financial compliance. A list of any deficiencies will be sent to the applicant for revision. Applicants will have only two chances to make all required changes to their application; if outstanding issues remain after the second revision, the application will be withdrawn.
  5. Eligible and complete applications will be sent for review by external, subject matter experts. A funding decision will be provided within four to six weeks.
  6. As program eligibility for TalentEdge internships requires all ENCQOR 5G TalentEdge Project be coupled with an existing ENCQOR 5G project, OCE will not issue a funding decision on the ENCQOR 5G TalentEdge units until all contracts for the coupled projects are executed.

Reference Documents

Assessment Process and Criteria

The ENCQOR 5G - TalentEdge Internship Program stream is a discretionary, non-entitlement program with limited funding. All eligible applications undergo a review process where the applications are assessed against program objectives and other criteria. Not all eligible applications will be approved for funding.

  1. Complete applications will undergo a written external peer review by three subject-matter experts from academia, industy and/or government. Reviewers are contractually bound by confidentiality and conflict of interest requirements.
  2. Recommendations from the peer review process will be assessed by OCE's Internal Review Panel, which will have responsibility for the final OCE decision.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated against assessment criteria including:

  • Project Description: Clarity of project and objectives and relevance to the company
  • Project Plan: Clarity of objectives for the intern, suitability of methodology and feasibility of timeline and milestones
  • Intern Qualifications and Experience: suitability of intern's background and expertise for the project, benefit of the placement to the intern and strength of interaction with the partner organization to provide the intern with first-hand industry experience and/or exposure
  • Overall quality and completeness of the application
More program information

Project Activation

  • Applicants may apply to the ENCQOR TalentEdge Program in parallel with related projects in the ENCQOR 5G Demonstration Program, ENCQOR 5G SME Technology Development Program or ENCQOR 5G iPaaS Network Access Program, however, the award of any TalentEdge internship units will be dependent on the execution of all agreeements for the coupled project to meet program eligibility requirements.
  • Upon arrival of a project for funding, the applicant will be forwarded a copy of OCE's standard funding agreement for execution. This funding agreement must be signed, via OCE's online electronic signature function, by the applicant and returned to OCE within fifteen (15) days of notification of an approved award.
    • A copy of the Funding Agreement can be downloaded for your reference. Please do not fill out this form; a copy of the agreement will be generated through OCE's online management system and sent to you upon approval of your project.
  • Upon receipt of the funding agreement, OCE will activate the project
  • The start date will be by default the date of activation and may not be changed.

Flow of Funds

  • Upon activation, OCE will release a payment equal to 75 per cent of the OCE award. The remaining 25 per cent of the OCE award will be held back until project completion. For example:

    • OCE award amount

    $10,000

    Applicant contributions

    $5,000 cash plus $5,000 in-kind

    Funds released upon project activation

    $7,500

    Holdback

    $2,500
    • OCE will not release any funds until the project is activated and will not be held responsible for any expenses incurred for the project prior to activation. If for any reason the requirements for activation are not met within fifteen (15) days from the date of release of the approval notification, the funding offer may be retracted.
  • The holdback will be released upon project completion and receipt of the following: applicant final progress and financial reports, outcomes and proof of payment for the intern (see details in Project Reporting section).

Project Reporting Requirements

The following project reports will be required. 

Please note that completion of all required reports is a contractual obligation to receive funding from OCE.

Final Reports

  • Forty-five (45) days prior to the scheduled completion date, the applicant and intern will receive a notification of the project end date from OCE's AccessOCE system, with a link to the Final Project Report should the partners wish to begin entering data. If an extension to complete the project is required, the applicant MUST request it prior to the scheduled project completion date using the Project Administration tab in their AccessOCE project file. A maximum extension of three months will be allowable.
    • As part of the final report, applicants MUST provide proof of payment for the intern (MUST include intern's name, company/institution name, payment periods and amounts, e.g. intern pay stub, payroll print-out, T4/T4A).
  • On the scheduled project completion date, the applicant and intern will receive notification and a link to complete a Final Project Report (incluing progress, financials and metrics) from OCE's AccessOCE system. Both of the applicant and intern reports MUST be received and approved by OCE within 30 days of project completion.
  • All required final reports by all partners MUST be submitted within 30 days of project completion in order to release the holdback and maintain good financial standing with OCE.

Retrospective Survey

At one, two and three years after project completion, the company will be sent a link to complete a retrospective survey to collect data on commercial outcomes from the project. This information is required by OCE for assessment of program impact and continuous improvement.

Project Changes

  • For any variances to the OCE budget of $5,000 or greater, or extensions to the project end date, the applicant MUST complete a Project Change Request form prior to the project end date using the Project Administration tab in their AccessOCE project file. A maximum extension of three months will be allowable.
  • For any other material change to the project, including, but not limited to, changes related to the applicant company, the intern, scope of work or eligible expenses, the applicant MUST contact the OCE Program Manager as soon as the changes are known.

For More Information

For further questions regarding program guidelines, eligibility, and submitting the online application, please contact:

Natalia Lobo
Program Manager
Tel: 416-861-1092 x1061
Email:


How to Apply

Program Status: Closed for applications





Last updated: Oct. 16, 2020