Archived - Criteria and Project Approval

Program Administration

Program administration is the responsibility of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Aquaculture Management Directorate (AMD) (National Capital Region) manages and administers the program, with call letters for proposals being issued at least annually (approximately October/November) in Years 1 to 4 for the following fiscal year, unless funds are depleted through prior commitments.  A second call for proposals may take place if sufficient funds remain after the first call for proposals.  Proposal intake is through the Regional Aquaculture Coordinator Office (RACO) which perform an initial review for application completeness and coordinate the regional review.  The DFO National Review Committee evaluates all recommended proposals from the regional review.

Innovation Priorities

Priorities are established by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and reviewed annually.  Provinces and Territories are consulted through the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers (CCFAM), and other sector stakeholders are consulted through industry associations and other methods, as appropriate. 

• 2012/13 Innovation Priorities

Evaluation Process

The evaluation process is broken into two assessment components: I) preliminary screen for basic requirements and eligibility (see Preliminary Screen Checklist below), and II) project relevance and quality (see Appendix 2 - Program Evaluation Form).  All projects will be assessed against these criteria at both the regional and national levels.

Preliminary Screen (all aspects must be met – Innovation and Market Access)

• Must be an eligible applicant
• Minimum 10% industry cash contribution
• Must address program priorities in a clearly innovative approach
• The proposal includes a clear executive summary
• The proposal is delivered in Microsoft (MS) Word and hard copy versions
• An appendix disclosing any litigation against the applicant
• An appendix of all regulatory approvals

Project Relevance and Quality (Innovation element only)

• Commercial justification
• Scope of impact
• Plan and performance management
• Project team
• Budget
• Industry cash contributions
• Leverage

See the AIMAP Program Evaluation Form (Appendix 2 in the Proposal Guidelines and Application Form document) for complete evaluation criteria and ranking requirements.  You are strongly encouraged to self-evaluate your proposal prior to final submission in order to help you develop a better proposal.

As the demands for funding from the AIMAP are far in excess of funds available, there is no guarantee that your project will be funded. The program strives to provide you with the earliest possible notice once decisions are made.

Prior to the issuing of AIMAP funds the financial situation of any proponent could be evaluated in order to ensure that all resources are in place to allow the proponent to successfully complete the project. This may be a case-by-case assessment and will be dependent on the size of the AIMAP contribution.  You also authorize DFO to make any enquiries of such persons, firms, corporations, federal and provincial government agencies/departments and non-profit economic development organizations, to collect and share information with them, as DFO deems necessary in order to reach a decision on this application, to administer and monitor the implementation of the subject project, and to evaluate the results of the project and this program after project completion.

Information provided to DFO will be treated in accordance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. These laws govern, protect and limit the collection, use and disclosure of personal, financial and technical information by federal government departments and agencies. Information provided to DFO is secured from unauthorized access.