COSIA’s Environmental Technology Assessment Portal (E-TAP) provides an effective means to tap into the global environmental sector to provide your solution to current and future technology gaps and opportunities. If you have a technology or idea you would like to submit on a non-confidential basis to COSIA for consideration.
Submission process
The process is simple. To get started, fill out the online E-TAP submission form with non-confidential information about your research or technology concept.
What to Expect During the Review Process?
- Upon submitting your proposal through our ETAP system, you will be asked to identify which of our Environmental Priority Areas (EPA) your concept falls under. Your submission will be then routed to the respective COSIA staff member who will then complete an initial screening.
- Technical experts from COSIA member companies will decide whether to proceed with a technology vendor, not COSIA staff. However, COSIA staff assist by completing an initial review and providing feedback to help your submission address the members’ needs.
- COSIA staff may contact if for additional information, prior to advancing your submission to the Members for review. Depending on the level of member interest, you may be invited to discuss your project in greater detail.
- Projects within COSIA are member lead and driven; hence if your solution is interesting to one or members, it will be transferred to a Lead COSIA member who will work with you to progress to negotiation and/or to further develop the solution.
E-TAP is an efficient way of getting your idea or proposal in front of all COSIA members at once. However, submissions are brought forward to members generally monthly, with each then undertaking their own evaluation, which can take time. Review times will vary for each submission but please expect that it could take several months before you hear back from us.
FAQ
COSIA has four Environmental Priority Areas (EPAs): Tailings, Water, Land and Greenhouse Gases (GHGs).
The EPAs are seeking technologies, practical solutions, research and/ or technology ‘widgets’ that can help accelerate environmental performance improvement in Canada’s oil sands. These are described as Innovation Opportunities and/or Challenges. The objective is to identify and assess ideas that could be potential solutions to our current Innovation Opportunities.
We invite companies, organizations and individuals to submit ideas for assessment that fits within the current scope of activities for each of the EPAs, through a NON-CONFIDENTIAL Disclosure. Confidential information will not be accepted as part of COSIA’s technology assessment process. All non-confidential information submitted as part of the technology assessment process may eventually be passed on to the EPA Member companies. Should confidential information be required/requested by the EPA Members, at any time during the process, appropriate confidentiality measures will be put in place in advance.
When submitting an idea for consideration, we’ll ask you for enough technical details that COSIA’s members can make an informed decision on the value of your innovation. But COSIA will never ask you for IP information. That’s a later discussion between you and a member company if your submission progresses to that stage.
COSIA will accept and review submissions that fall outside our prioritized Innovation Opportunities using the same process as outlined in Figure 1. You will be prompted and expected to answer the same questions as described above. However, to increase your chance of success, we strongly encourage you to clearly articulate in your submission:
- What problem your solution aims to solve and how it is relevant to the oil sands industry, and
- The magnitude of the problem and why COSIA members should prioritize solving it.
If your submission is rejected, COSIA will endeavour to provide feedback to help you with future submissions and/or direct you to other avenues for collaboration. Your submission may be rejected if:
- The problem you are trying to solve is deemed not a current priority for external collaboration by our members,
- Your proposed solution has been tried previously, and/or
- alternative approaches are being prioritized for development or deployment.
Pre-Submission Checklist
- Review the Next Steps section on this page to determine if E-TAP is right for you at this time or if other support is required/being sought. (For example, if you are looking for bitumen samples, visit the InnoTech Sample Bank.)
- Review COSIA’s Innovation Opportunities and Research Reports to determine alignment with your idea/technology and assist in positioning your submission.
- Read the Step-by-Step Guide to submitting an E-TAP
- Check out the Events Page to discover if any events are scheduled that would help inform your submission.
- Utilized our Virtual Tools (if applicable) to assist with calculations/simulations to test your ideas/technologies and inform your submission. (Examples: InSitu Sim, Cost Benefit Analysis Tool etc.)
- Reviewed the FAQs and other Resources available
- Review non-confidentiality disclosure (see below)
Non-Confidentiality Disclosure
COSIA welcomes the submission of ideas or concepts from outside individuals, companies or organizations for its consideration, specifically in the fields covered by its four Environment Priority Areas (EPAs): Tailings, Water, Land and Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). However, COSIA and its EPAs are required by Policy to receive and consider such submissions only on a non-confidential basis. While COSIA may subsequently choose in its sole discretion to receive further information on a confidential basis from the undersigned individual, company or organization (the "Discloser") under a Confidentiality Agreement, all submissions prior to signing such a Confidentiality Agreement will be treated by COSIA and its EPAs as strictly non-confidential information.
By electronically acknowledging this Non-Confidentiality Disclosure on the E-TAP Submission Form, Discloser is expressly acknowledging the above and agrees that the information provided directly or indirectly to COSIA and/or its EPAs hereunder, whether in written, oral, visual or other format, is non-confidential.
For greater clarity, Discloser hereby acknowledges that any and all information provided directly or indirectly by Discloser hereunder is provided free of restriction as to subsequent use and disclosure by or on behalf of COSIA and the EPAs.
Discloser may attach or submit separately a non-confidential datasheet or samples that provide Discloser with a means to communicate the performance and/or operation of their technologies (process or products) or technology solutions to COSIA and the EPAs for consideration. Based on the information provided, COSIA and its EPAs may or may not elect to participate with Discloser to further evaluate any proposed technology opportunity. COSIA may forward this form and accompanying information to third parties to assist in the preliminary evaluation.
COSIA may forward this form and accompanying information to third parties to assist in the preliminary evaluation.