A lot of companies think that what they do isn’t eligible for the SRED program, but we don’t always agree. A lot of companies are doing work that is eligible without even realizing that what they are doing is considered the innovative work that the SR&ED program was created to assist with.

Sometimes it’s easiest to see what can be considered SR&ED by taking a look at what qualifies for other companies, and so, here are five fictional companies that are doing work that would be eligible for the SR&ED program.

  1. Cyberdyne Systems Corporation from The Terminator Movie Franchise. How would this qualify for the SR&ED program? Cyberdyne is responsible for creating Skynet, an artificial intelligence system that was completely self-aware. Cyberdyne would have faced technological obstacles in the development of the self-awareness aspect of the AI system.
  2. Veridian Dynamics from Better off Ted. How would this qualify for the SR&ED program? Veridian Dynamics is a strictly Research and Development company, whose goal is to create real solutions to everyday problems.This is the type of company that most people automatically consider when thinking about SR&ED – a pure Research and Development firm. Veridian Dynamics would have faced technological obstacles in the invention of products such as the creation of lab-grown meat (through the use of bovine cells).
  3. Rossum Corporation from Dollhouse. How would this qualify for the SR&ED program? The Rossum Corporation is a drug research entity. The Rossum Corporation would have faced technological obstacles in developing medication that can battle PTSD and are on their way to assisting with diseases such as Alzheimer’s Syndrome.
  4. InGen from Jurassic Park. How would this qualify for the SR&ED program? This genetic engineering company would be working in a field where nothing they are doing has been documented before, so nothing they were involved with could be considered common knowledge to their industry. InGen would have faced technological obstacles in knowing exactly how to extract blood from mosquitoes to clone the dinosaurs, as well as knowing how much blood they needed to extract.
  5. Tyrell Corporation from Blade Runner. How would this qualify for the SR&ED program? Tyrell Corporation is bio-tech corporation that specializes in creating humanoid androids. The Tyrell Corporation would have faced technological obstacles in improving their androids so that were eventually so organic that it was next-to-impossible to tell that they weren’t actually human.

All of these fictional companies are doing what could be eligible for the SR&ED program, if only they (a) weren’t fictional and (b) had operations in Canada. There is a wide selection of companies here – from R&D companies, to companies who have created new products, to ones that have improved their products… and they are in a range of industries as well: IT, pharmaceuticals, genetics, etc.

So what can we take away from looking at these five companies? That you could work in a large range of industries, doing a large range of things in order to be applicable for the SR&ED program. Interested in learning whether you are eligible for the SR&ED program? Contact us now