Fuse is the Kingston and Eastern Ontario Regional Technology Development Site (RTDS). Supported by the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), Fuse is the first chemtech-focused RTDS, powering the development of chemistry technology and advanced materials for the automotive and smart mobility sectors.
Built on five key pillars, the site will support Ontario SMEs through:
• Technology Development & Validation Fund (TDVF)
• Access to physical infrastructure & innovation hub
• Pathway to commercialization support
• Business advisory & mentorship
• Innovation & Ecosystem Summits
Technology Development and Validation Fund (TDVF)
At the core of this initiative is the TDVF designed to fund and support SMEs as they scale innovative solutions. Through Fuse, companies gain access to specialized facilities, technical expertise, and validation services from Fuse technical partners including Kingston Process Metallurgy, Kingston Metals & Materials, Impact Chemistry, and RXN HUB. The funding will enable SMEs to pilot, validate, and bring advanced materials, clean technologies, and manufacturing innovations to market.
Fuse’s TDVF will allow Ontario SMEs to offset up to 50% of eligible costs to a maximum of $100,000 for eligible projects to access specialized chemistry labs, materials development services, technical and commercialization expertise offered by Fuse technical partners.
How to apply?
Ontario SMEs can apply for Fuse’s TDVF through Kingston Economic Development by submitting a project that access the services offered by Fuse technical partners. SMEs are encouraged to explore their services to identify the specialized equipment, expertise, and resources best suited to their project needs.
Ontario SMEs are invited to review the program guidelines and fill out the Expression of Interest form.
We are currently accepting applications.
Application Process
1) Complete the Fuse Expression of Interest (EOI) form to outline your project and funding needs.
2) Name each file using the format: Document Name_Company Name (e.g., Business Plan_ABC Company)
3) Submit the EOI form via email to fuse@investkingston.ca
4) Eligible applicants will be matched with a technical partner to scope and quote the project.
5) Eligible applicants with fully scoped project will be invited to submit a full application form.
6) Once all the application forms are complete, the review committee will review applications.
7) All applicants will be notified of the results of their application.
Apply via email to fuse@investkingston.ca
Eligibility Criteria
• The applicant is a Small or Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) operating in Ontario.
• The applicant has fewer than 500 employees.
• The proposed project focuses on chemistry-based innovations supporting the automotive and/or mobility sector.
• The project aims to advance technologies toward commercialization (Technology Readiness Levels 3–9).
• The applicant will provide a minimum 50% matching cash contribution towards the project.
Chemistry and Advanced Materials Ecosystem
Kingston offers a chemistry-focused innovation ecosystem through Fuse, providing companies with access to applied research, process development, and materials characterization services, supported by leading research institutions, talent, and specialized industry partners.
With more than 85,000 sq. ft. of lab and commercialization space, Kingston offers SMEs access to unparalleled infrastructure and expertise including coworking areas, turnkey industrial space, and demonstration sites.
Technical Partners
KM&M is a team with strong experience in aluminum alloy development, casting, and material improvement. They work with companies of all sizes, from startups and SMEs to large producers, to help develop, test, and improve new materials. Based in Kingston, a place known for aluminum research and innovation, KM&M supports customers across North America and around the world.
Services Offered:
• Produces high-purity aluminum and specialty alloys tailored for advanced applications such as batteries, transportation, and clean technologies.
• Supports product development through custom alloy design and small-scale batch casting.
• Provides continuous and direct chill (DC) casting to produce billets, ingots, and slabs with controlled composition.
• Offers heat treatment and processing methods to achieve desired material properties.
• Provides material testing and analysis, including studying internal structure and surface properties.
• Supports troubleshooting and quality checks to ensure material optimization through processing and treatment methods.
• Offers training and knowledge in aluminum processing and metallurgy.
• Supports small-scale trials and pilot production, allowing companies to test materials without large upfront costs.
• Supports companies in developing, testing, and scaling new materials and products
Equipment & Processes offered by KM&M:
• Continuous Casting: DC Caster, Strip Casting, Twin Roll Casting
• Thermo-Mechanical Treatment: forced air convective ovens, salt baths and fluidized sand beds, rolling mills.
• Metallography: Process includes equipment like- Optical Microscope, Stereoscope, SEM-EDS
• Surface Characterization: Profilometers, Keyence microscopes.
Website:
Kingston Metals & Materials – Aluminum
Company location:
596 McKay Street, Kingston, ON. Canada K7M 5V9
Contact Information:
• Name: Alain Roy
• Email: alainroy@kpm.ca
Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. (KPM) was established in 2002 to provide process development and optimization, through contract research and development services to chemical, mining, and metallurgical industries. Their core pillars of Integrated process development, Techno-economic analysis and computer modeling, material characterization, analysis and custom testing provide clarity on technical feasibility, economic potential, challenges and difficulties to the clients and henceforth provides them with a clear and concise path to reach a goal.
Services Offered:
• It primarily offers three main services- Integrated process development, Techno-economic analysis, and material characterization.
• Supports integrated process development through experimental design, bench-scale testing, pilot campaigns, and scale-ups to enable efficient and commercially viable process solutions.
• Design and develop process flow sheets, select unit operations, and conduct process optimization tailored to specific material and production requirements.
• Deliver techno-economic analysis (TEA) and advanced computer modeling to evaluate project feasibility, identify key cost drivers (CAPEX/OPEX), and guide strategic decision-making.
• Utilizes industry-leading modeling tools (e.g., thermochemical and heat/mass balance simulations) to reduce risk and accelerate development timelines.
• Provides material characterization and custom testing using specialized analytical techniques to diagnose operational challenges and improve process performance.
• Applies standardized and custom testing methods to assess material behaviour, chemical interactions, and suitability for industrial applications.
• Supports troubleshooting of plant operations and process inefficiencies, offering data-driven solutions to enhance reliability and output.
• Enables SMEs to move from early-stage development to validated, scalable technologies through a combination of laboratory research, modeling, and real-world testing.
Materials and Processes:
KPM works on a wide range of processes and materials, largely related to primary and secondary metal production, environmental protection, and a variety of clean-tech opportunities.
The following are some of the materials with which KPM provides support:
• Provides custom synthesis and development of high-purity and specialty chemicals for advanced industries such as semiconductors, batteries, and materials science.
• Supports product development and R&D by designing, improving, and optimizing chemical processes and materials.
• Offers testing and analytical services to evaluate purity, performance, and quality of materials.
• Assists in scaling up processes from laboratory research to pilot and production scale
• Provides expert lab support for air-sensitive and complex chemistries using advanced equipment and controlled environments.
Expertise and Equipment offered by Impact Chemistry:
• Base metals- copper, nickel, lead, zinc, tellurium, selenium, cadmium, arsenic, tin, etc.
• Light metals- aluminum, magnesium, sodium, lithium, and titanium.
• Critical Metals & Minerals- Rare Earth Elements like scandium, lithium, niobium, etc.
• Exotic Metals & Compounds- Uncommon metals like antimony, mercury, bismuth, indium, and strontium
• Gold, Silver (Au), (Ag)
• Platinum Group of Metals- PGM
• Secondary Materials
• Recycling Metals
• Recycling consumer waste
Some of the processes supported by KPM:
• Leaching & Hydrometallurgy
• Smelting
• Roasting & Calcination
• Molten Salt Electrolysis
• Reactive Gas Processing
• Refining
• Chlorination & Hydrochlorination
• Purification & Upgrading
• Aqueous Electrochemistry
• Recycling & Novel Processes
• Synthesis of specialty products and compounds
Website:
Company Location: 759 Progress Avenue, Kingston ON, Canada K7M 6N6
Contact Information:
• Name: Boyd Davis
• Email: bdavis@kpm.ca
RXN HUB- A home for Chemistry, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship, enables innovators to validate, scale & deploy their solutions, accelerating the journey from lab to market. RXN HUB provides a mixed-use facility for chemical technology development and provides innovators with a complete scale-up toolkit.
Services Offered:
• Enviro-Techno Economic Assessments- Helps model and evaluates technologies to understand their environmental, cost, and business impact.
• Strategic Commercialization Roadmaps- Provides guidance on timelines, costs, resources, and key steps needed to develop and scale chemical technologies.
• Pilot Project Development & Project Management: Supports planning and running pilot projects to reduce risks and solve technical challenges early.
• Infrastructure Development- Assists with designing and setting up plants, R&D facilities, and key process equipment.
• Commercial Development- Help companies plan, fund, and scale their projects from early development to full implementation.
• Other services offered in alliance with Deloitte provide a process designed for flexibility, creativity, and efficiency.
Website:
Company Location:
945 Princess Street, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6
Contact Information:
• Name: Rafael Olvera
• Email: rafael.olvera@rxnhub.org
Impact Chemistry provides custom synthesis, product development, and R&D services for high-tech industries like semiconductors, advanced materials, fine chemicals, and catalysis. They specialize in high-purity and air-sensitive chemistry while ensuring reliable results and full protection of client IP.
Services Offered:
• Provides custom synthesis and development of high-purity and specialty chemicals for advanced industries such as semiconductors, batteries, and materials science.
• Supports product development and R&D by designing, improving, and optimizing chemical processes and materials.
• Offers testing and analytical services to evaluate purity, performance, and quality of materials.
• Assists in scaling up processes from laboratory research to pilot and production scale
• Provides expert lab support for air-sensitive and complex chemistries using advanced equipment and controlled environments.
Expertise and Equipment offered by Impact Chemistry:
• Soin-on material synthesis
• Organic synthesis
• Main group inorganic synthesis
• Polymer synthesis and application development
• Water treatment processes
• Fermentation downstream processing
• Coatings, surfactants and formulations
• Hydrothermal autoclave reactors
• Photoreactor
• Drying ovens (vacuum and convection)
• Water treatment processes
• High temperature furnaces
• Planetary Ball Mill
• Rotary Evaporator
• Purification systems (filtration, distillation, sublimation)
• Ellipsometer
• Raman Spectrometer
• UV-Vis
• Particle Size Analyzer
Website:
Company Location:
945 Princess Street, Suite 105, Kingston, ON, Canada K7L 0E9
Contact Information:
• Name: Tim Clark
• Email: tclark@impact-chemistry.com
Academic/Institutional Partners
Municipal Partners
Industrial Partners
Need assistance or more information?
This program is funded with support from the Ontario government through OVIN.
