Nova Scotia’s provincial business development agency and venture capital office, Invest Nova Scotia, is looking for applicants to its Productivity and Innovation Voucher Program, which provides funding for small companies to tap university research services.

The vouchers come in two tiers — with Tier 1 vouchers being worth $15,000 and Tier 2 vouchers worth $25,000. They can be used to finance research projects with pre-approved partner researchers at each of Nova Scotia's major post-secondary institutions, as well as Cape Breton's Verschuren Centre bioetech hub. The projects can be aimed at improving business productivity, developing a new product, service or process, or generalized business growth.

Companies must successfully apply for a Tier 1 voucher before being eligible for Tier 2 vouchers, of which one business can receive a maximum of two. That means total research funding for one company is capped at a total $65,000.

Applications are being accepted until May 31 at 5:00 p.m. Atlantic. More information, a list of pre-approved partner researchers, and an application form can all be found here.