Artificial Intelligence for Canadian Energy Innovation

• Expression of Interest (EOI)
• Full Project Proposal (FPP) for invited applicants
• Letter of Confirmation of Applicant Organization Contribution
• Letter of contribution for each project partner identified
• Proof of legal registration in Canada

Who is eligible?

• Legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada.
• For-profit and not-for-profit organizations.
• Community groups.
• Canadian academic institutions.
• Provincial, territorial, regional and municipal governments and their departments and agencies where applicable.

Who is not eligible

• Federal government entities for their own internal operations.
• Federal government entities for the acquisition of land, buildings, works, machinery and equipment or construction or creation of assets for the federal government.

Eligible expenses

• Salaries and benefits for employees working on the project.
• Training and workshop costs related to the project.
• Professional, scientific, technical, and contracting services essential to project implementation.
• Travel, meals, and accommodation expenses directly associated with project activities.
• Capital expenditures, such as the purchase, installation, testing, and commissioning of equipment, materials, and related warranties.
• Laboratory and field supplies and materials used for project activities.
• Printing and translation services for project purposes.
• Data collection services, including processing, analysis, and management connected to the project.
• Facility costs for seminars and conference room rentals (excluding hospitality).
• Construction insurance, accreditation, license fees, and permits required for the project.
• Honoraria and field testing services necessary for project advancement.
• Overhead costs directly attributable to the project, up to 15% of eligible expenditures.
• GST, PST, or HST, net of any tax rebate to which the applicant is entitled.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Foundational research into computational science.
• Foundational research into energy technologies/solutions.
• Installation of off-the-shelf AI solutions for its intended use or for the improvement of an organization’s existing product or service offerings.
• Using AI broadly to generate content, predictions, or suggestions that are not physically investigated or evaluated further in an applied setting.
• Purchase of land.

Eligible geographic areas

• Canada

• Projects that support departmental priorities such as regional balance in Canada, advancing IDEA in the natural resources sector, and socio-economic considerations.
• Questions about how the proposed project will benefit society, including job creation, capacity-building and improving AI literacy, will be scored and evaluated as part of the application.
• Collaboration and leveraging are strongly encouraged for all project components.
• Preference will be given to applicants who leverage funding from non-government sources.

• Complete and submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) via the application portal by 1:00 p.m. ET on December 11, 2025.
• EOIs will be reviewed by the Technical Review Committee.
• NRCan will notify applicants of the EOI evaluation results and invite successful applicants to the FPP phase.
• Invited applicants must complete and submit a Full Project Proposal (FPP).
• FPPs will be reviewed by the Technical Review and Investment Review Committees.

• The project selection process has two phases: Expression of Interest (EOI) and Full Project Proposal (FPP).
• EOIs will be reviewed by the Technical Review Committee.
• FPPs will be reviewed by the Technical Review and Investment Review Committees.
• All applicants selected for funding will undergo financial, technical, legal and regulatory due diligence.
• Applicants whose projects pass due diligence will be invited to work with NRCan to draft, sign, and execute a milestone-based contribution agreement.

• Successful applicants may receive non-financial support, such as networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities.
• Generative AI may be used to support application preparation, but submissions must be accurate and properly cited.