BioCreate Program

• The applicant must be a Canadian or provincially incorporated business.
• The project must be led by a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) located in southern Ontario.
• The project must involve genomics or engineering biology technologies, or be enabled by these technologies.
• The company’s technology must have already reached at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 and the project must aim to advance it towards TRL 7.
• The project activities must be carried out in Ontario, with any use of awarded funds outside Ontario requiring prior approval from Ontario Genomics.

Who is eligible?

• Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in southern Ontario
• Companies developing genomics-enabled products or technologies
• Companies developing engineering biology (synthetic biology/bioengineering) products or technologies
• Biotechnology SMEs in the health sector (e.g. therapeutics, diagnostics)
• Biotechnology SMEs in the food, agriculture, or cleantech sectors

Who is not eligible

This grant program does not specify explicit exclusions based on industry or status beyond the general eligibility criteria. Companies not meeting these criteria may not qualify for funding.

Eligible expenses

• Labour costs, including gross wages or salaries for employees working directly on the approved project activities.
• Fees for subcontractors and external consultants carrying out clearly identified project-related work or services.
• Direct materials used up in the project (e.g. raw materials, consumables and supplies required to carry out the R&D and development work).
• Purchase of essential equipment required to execute the project, including costs to modify or modernize it, make it operational and ship it to the site.
• Other direct project costs that can be clearly tied to approved activities, including eligible travel and outreach expenses directly related to the project, with prior approval from Ontario Genomics.

Eligible geographic areas

• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in southern Ontario, Canada.

• Clear understanding of target customers, global market, competitors and the company’s competitive advantage.
• Strength of the proposed Technology Readiness Level (TRL) progression from TRL 4+ to TRL 7+, creating a clear inflection in value based on customer feedback and market analysis.
• Quality and capability of the project team, including demonstrated expertise, resources and feasibility supported by preliminary data and a solid project rationale.
• Clarity and robustness of the project plan, including objectives, activities, milestones, timelines, risk mitigation, and defined roles and responsibilities, as well as a realistic and aligned budget.
• Expected benefits and impact for southern Ontario (e.g. job creation, investment attraction, commercialization pathway) and integration of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) principles within the team and project.

• The program runs over five years and is expected to support up to seven cohorts and a total of up to 32 SMEs.
• Each funded SME participates in an 18‑month program that includes structured mentorship and culminates in an investor showcase.
• Participating companies are expected to protect their intellectual property and keep project IP in Canada for the duration of the funding agreement.
• Companies must agree to long‑term follow-up, including impact metrics collection for up to five years after project completion.