Funding Your R&D Work through the Federal SR&ED Program: A Talk on Free Government Advisory Services for Supporting R&D Software Projects in Canada

Synopsis:
The Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Program is a federal tax incentive program designed to support Canadian businesses conduct qualifying research and development (R&D). Administered by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), the SR&ED program is the largest single source of federal government support for industrial R&D. For software firms, this means a potential source of funding to help stretch a tight R&D budget. Benefits include annual cash refunds and/or tax credits based on expenditures for eligible R&D work done in Canada.

For new / potential and even experienced SR&ED claimants, there are often many questions asked:

• How do I get started on a claim?
• Are there “no cost” SR&ED services available from the government itself to guide me towards preparing a great claim? 
• What official CRA advice can be given to minimize potential technical and financial issues with my claim?

To address prevalent misconceptions about the program, this talk is designed to discuss and promote some of the advisory services available to companies.

Many of the free helpful SR&ED services are not well known to the software industry.

So, what does this mean to your company?
How will this information assist the CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, accountants, and developers in your firm?

For those interested to take advantage of no cost SR&ED claim assistance from the federal government, your ship has arrived. In addition to the benefit of legal IP confidentiality, there are no fees to pay, no multi-year contracts to sign, and no costly commissions to consider.

For those unable to attend this event but still want to access the free advisory services, here is your ticket for boarding the boat:

• Pre-Claim Project Review (PCPR) http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/txcrdt/sred-rsde/p...
• Call the local SR&ED Office at 1-[masked]. (For more contact info see: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/txcrdt/sred-rsde/cntcts/srdbc-eng.html)

With proper guidance in navigating the waters of research funding, understanding the SR&ED program can be simpler than you thought… if “done right” from the port of origin.

Government Bio: Stephen Ng
As a full-time federal administrator of the SR&ED program in the Canada Revenue Agency (Vancouver Office), Stephen is a Research & Technology Advisor with over 10+ years experience in charge of reviewing / auditing claims submitted in BC and the Yukon. He deals with SR&ED claims from a wide spectrum of software-based companies - from 1-person startups to large high-tech multi-national corporations. He also provides scientific / technical guidance to new and existing claimants before filing towards a faster claim turnaround time.

Government Bio: Mansur Suleman
As an experienced Financial Reviewer with over 10+ years in the SR&ED program at the Canada Revenue Agency (Vancouver Office), Mansur has knowledge about the financial aspects of claims. He can speak to important matters of SR&ED qualifying expenditures (paid or unpaid), claim application forms, the claim process, and related tax matters. He also provides, at no cost, assistance to help prospective or existing SR&ED claimants understand the program and the claim submission.

About the SR&ED Program:
Learn more at: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/sred/