CANADA-ISRAEL CYBER SECURITY COOPERATION FOR THE ENERGY SECTOR

Program Overview: The Canada-Israel Cyber Security Cooperation for the Energy Sector is a pilot program that promotes and supports technology cooperation between Canadian and Israeli companies to improve cyber resilience of Canada’s energy infrastructure. Managed by the Canada-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (CIIRDF) and funded by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Israel Innovation Authority (the IIA), this program supports industry-led collaboration, including Canadian energy and utilities sector owners/operators, to jointly develop or validate cyber solutions to address the growing and evolving cyber risks to critical energy infrastructure such as the electricity grid and oil and natural gas pipelines.

Benefits to Canadian companies: Participating Canadian companies will have the opportunity to capitalize on Israel’s world class cyber security expertise and associated technologies to jointly develop innovative solutions that address Canada’s energy sector cyber vulnerabilities.
Benefits to Israeli companies: The Israeli cyber security companies will gain raised awareness of Canada’s energy sector cyber security needs and of opportunities for cooperation with Canadian energy and utilities sector owners/operators.
Financial Contribution: Each successful application will receive up to 50% of the eligible project costs from CIIRDF.

Eligibility Requirement:
Projects must be conducted jointly by at least one Canadian company (e.g., energy and utilities sector owners/operators, cyber technology supplier) and one Israeli company.
Projects must address cyber security needs of the Canadian energy industry (e.g., electricity, oil and gas, nuclear).
Each application should be prepared and submitted jointly by at least one Canadian company (such as an energy and utilities sector owner/operator, cyber technology supplier) and one Israeli company.

Type of Projects:
Proof of Concept: A trial that allows a Canadian energy company (End User) to evaluate cyber technologies from Israel within End User’s own environment
Technology Validation: 1) validation of functionality, performance, quality and usability with End User, 2) validation of product value proposition with End User, or 3) acceleration of product adoption with End User
Rapid R&D: Canadian and Israeli cyber technologies to be developed and integrated to create a new solution for End User
Examples of Project Areas: Industrial Control System (ICS) digital data collection and analysis, ICS/SCADA vulnerability assessment, predictive maintenance system, ICT passive monitoring, remote data collection, cloud infrastructure security for utilities

Project Location: Project activities should take place primarily in Canada and Israel.

Project Duration: Maximum 6 months (The Canadian component of the project must be completed before March 31, 2019)

Application Deadline and Evaluation: All applications must be received before September 30, 2018. Applications will be evaluated continuously based on assessment criteria such as technology/innovation, commercial viability, capability and quality of partners.

Eligible Project Expenses: Eligible expenses for an approved project incurred by project participants must be directly related to, and necessary for, the implementation and conduct of a project and will include:

• Salaries and benefits for employees on the payroll of the recipient for the actual time spent by the employees on the project;
• Professional, scientific, technical and contracting services;
• Reasonable travel expenditures, including meals and accommodation. Business and first-class airfare is not eligible;
• Depreciation, rental or leasing expenses of qualifying equipment, its installation, testing and commissioning, and materials; and
• Overhead expenditures provided they are directly related to the conduct of the Project and can be attributed to it.
  **Overhead expenditures are to be included in the total Project costs to a maximum of 15% of Eligible Expenditures incurred by individual recipients for individual R&D Projects, which includes:
  – administrative support provided directly to the Project by the recipient’s employee(s), valued on the same basis as professional staff time;
  – routine laboratory and field equipment maintenance, based on the actual expenditure to the recipient; and
  – heat, hydro, and office operating costs.

Seeking an R&D partner? CIIRDF offers a technology partner search service for companies in Canada and Israel.

For inquiries, please contact:

• Canada: Ms. Tomoko Nishino, Email: [email protected], Tel: 1-613-724-1284, ext. 227
• Israel: Mr. Avner Montemayor, Email: [email protected], Tel: (Israel) +972-3-715-7986