The SMART Prosperity Now program will reimburse southern Ontario manufacturers up to 33% of expansion project costs, to a maximum of $75,000. Corporations are eligible if, for at least two years, they have been operating a southern-Ontario-based, 15- to 1,000-staffed manufacturing facility that directly or indirectly supplies an existing or planned international export market. Projects must improve the facility’s operational efficiency by increasing productivity, investing in green energy and technology, commercializing products, or developing new domestic or global markets. Eligible project costs include but are not limited to:

• Capital purchases and installation costs, excluding costs of land, building or vehicle purchase
• Consulting fees, including business planning,  international patents, translation services, foreign legal fees
• Technology upgrades, including software
• Marketing activities, including tradeshow fees, foreign branding and website development

The program’s project component is complemented by an optional assessment component. Eligible companies can apply for 50% of the cost of a productivity, technology- commercialization, or international-market assessment performed by a qualified service provider—to a maximum of $5,000.

Project start-dates can be no earlier than January 1, 2012. Projects must be completed within one year and no later than March, 2014. Prosperity Now is a highly competitive program in which funding is limited to a few hundred corporations. Companies are encouraged to apply in early February, 2012.