Expert Business Management Advice to growth oriented businesses
The NRC IRAP MAS Program also called the CMC-Canada Management Advisory Service (MAS) Program is 100% by the NRC IRAP (Industrial Research Assistance Program). It offers Expert Business Management Advice to growth oriented businesses. CMC-MAS program provides 40 hours of free consulting to small and medium sized Canadian technology businesses by a Canadian Certified Management Consultant (CMC) who has been qualified to deliver the program. The consulting fees are funded 100% by the NRC IRAP (National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program).
What is the MAS?
The MAS is a CMC-Canada service supported by IRAP – the National Research Council’s
Industrial Research Assistance Program. The MAS allows eligible small and medium size
technology enterprises to access up to 40 hours of business management advice from Certified Management Consultants (CMCs) who meet the program criteria.
Many of Canada’s innovative small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) face barriers to growth. These barriers can include: lack of sufficient investment capital, lack of business management know-how, poorly conceived plans and strategies, insufficient knowledge of competition, difficulty commercializing technologies and exploiting market opportunities, among others. The MAS program recognizes that many early stage technology enterprises need help to exploit innovative technologies in order to realize their full potential. The MAS complements IRAP’s goals by supporting innovative SMEs in their efforts to take the next logical step towards successfully commercializing their technology, ultimately creating more jobs and wealth for Canadians.
NRC IRAP MAS Program: How can CMCs help?
All Certified Management Consultants (CMCs) have undergone a rigorous, multi-stage process to earn the coveted CMC designation. All CMCs who participate in the MAS program also take specialized training in the MAS program and process. Participating CMCs have the trusted credentials, proven expertise, breadth of knowledge and experience to help clients achieve successful outcomes.
Who is eligible to use MAS?
Eligibility to access MAS is determined by an IRAP Industrial Technology Advisor (ITA).
Typically, SMEs seeking to access MAS are incorporated Canadian companies with fewer than 50 employees. In many cases, these enterprises have been researching and developing new or innovative technology and are interested in commercializing that technology. Often these are “early stage” enterprises. Other MAS-eligible clients are established SMEs with up to 500 employees facing barriers to growth.
How does the MAS process work?
The MAS process begins when an IRAP Industrial Technology Adviser (ITA) assesses the
SME’s need and eligibility. If the ITA approves the service, (s)he completes the MAS client
profile and application and sends it to CMC-Canada. CMC-Canada will then contact the client
and request a modest fee to process the application.
Once CMC-Canada receives payment, a database search is conducted to match the client’s
requirements against the profiles of three qualified CMCs. The names and contact information of these three CMCs are then provided to the client. The client then interviews these three CMCs and makes a selection based on the result of these interviews.
What is the cost of the MAS?
There is a modest fee of $150 to help offset the cost of administering the MAS program. There is no cost to the company for the CMC’s professional time – this is paid for by CMC-Canada through the contribution agreement with IRAP.
What do clients say about MAS?
The MAS program has been in operation in Ontario for over a decade. In recent years it was
expanded to Alberta and British Columbia. In April of 2007, IRAP announced that it had signed a contribution agreement with CMC-Canada to offer the program nationally. Post-engagement survey feedback from MAS clients indicates that satisfaction with MAS exceeds well over 90 per cent on nearly all service dimensions. As the following testimonials suggest, SMEs who have received the service are better prepared to successfully commercialize their technological innovation and to overcome barriers to growth.
Contact Arcus
Contact Arcus to learn more about how you can benefit from the CMC-MAS program. If you are interested in retaining our services, please contact Merril Mascarenhas, Managing Partner, by phone at +1 (416) 710-2727 or Email.
For more information about MAS:
Visit the NRC IRAP website or telephone: 1-877-994-4727
CMC-Canada website: www.cmc-canada.ca or telephone: 1-800-268-1148
About CMC-Canada: CMC-Canada (the Canadian Association of Management Consultants) fosters excellence and integrity in the management consulting profession as a whole.
“Needless to say, there are many firms that provide research and strategy consulting services, but few can deliver the value demonstrated in performing the scope of analysis, strategies, product evaluations and practical recommendations. Your commitment and ease of doing business with your firm ensured that we had a sound basis to address our most challenging business decisions.” – Mr. Peter Flattery, CEO, Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada