CanExport Innovation

CanExport Innovation

Innovators from Canadian organizations may access up to $75,000 in funding to assist with research and development (R&D) for a single technology. The Government of Canada covers up to 75% of costs to pursue and sign collaborative R&D agreements with international partners.
At a glance
Overview
Eligibility
Selection criteria
How to apply
Contact

At a glance

Eligible Funding
  • Max. $75,000
  • 75% of project cost
Timeline
  • Open Date : February 29, 2024
Financing Type
Grant and Funding
Eligible Industries
  • All industries
Grant Providers
  • Trade Commissioner Service
  • National Research Council Canada
  • Global Affairs Canada
  • Government of Canada
Status
Open

Overview

CanExport Innovation is designed to promote and enhance Canada's international innovation efforts. The program offers grants to Canadian organizations to assist them in establishing and formalizing new collaborative research and development (R&D) partnerships with foreign partners. The R&D partnerships being pursued must be for the purpose of joint development, adaptation and/or validation of a Canadian technology owned by the applicant organization. The technology must be ready for commercialization within 5 years. CanExport Innovation provides funding for activities up until the point at which partnerships are formalized. A partnership is considered formalized following the signing of all agreements necessary to secure the partnership and/or to begin the R&D work. All activities subsequent to the formalization of the R&D partnership, including the R&D work itself, are ineligible for CanExport Innovation funding. CanExport Innovation is a sub-program of CanExport. Other sub-programs include CanExport SMEs, CanExport Associations and CanExport Community Investments. The program is delivered by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS), Global Affairs Canada, in partnership with the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).

Eligibility criteria

  •  Be registered in Canada
  •  Have a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) business number
  •  Own, co-own, or have decision-making authority over the intellectual property (IP) rights for the technology
  •  Have a prototype (Technology Readiness Level 4 or higher)
  •  Intend to commercially launch the technology within 5 years

Who is eligible

  • Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises
  • Canadian academic institutions
  • Canadian non-government research centres

Who is not eligible

  • accelerators and incubators
  • charities
  • third-party representatives including agents, promoters, consultants, trading houses and export brokers
  • government departments, agencies, crown corporations and other organizations at the federal, provincial, territorial, or municipal level

Eligible expenses

  • the project activity and the related expense must take place within the project start and completion dates specified in your funding agreement; and
  • the project activity must fall within an approved category listed in your funding agreement and must be directly linked to one or more approved target markets.

Eligible projects & activities

They support the following non-travel activities:

  •  Applying for intellectual property protection in international markets
  •  Applying for certification in international markets
  •  Seeking expert legal and business advice
  •  Shipping technology to determine feasibility/compatibility with a partner's technology
  •  Translating, adapting and creating promotional plans or materials
  •  Attending virtual networking functions, meetings or conferences


They also support travel-related activities:

  •  Travel abroad or in Canada to meet with pre-identified foreign partners
  •  Attending an event or conference to meet with pre-identified foreign partners


Evaluation & selection criteria

  • sufficient justification and details are presented for project activities and each cost aligns to the pursuit of foreign R&D partnerships;
  • the organization's R&D project aligns with their international business development strategy;
  • their application is carefully crafted with regard to guidance provided in this applicant guide.

How to apply

Follow these steps to apply for CanExport Innovation:

  1. Familiarize yourself with the program details by reading our Applicant’s Guide.
  2. Create an account on our online portal. Note: Not compatible with Internet Explorer.
  3. Once you are signed in, enter your information under My Profile and select Update.
  4. On the CanExport Innovation landing page, select Apply Now!
  5. Complete the Application Basic Eligibility section. The purpose of this section is to determine whether your company meets the basic eligibility criteria of the CanExport Innovation program. Once completed, you will receive a confirmation of your Basic Eligibility by email within 7 business days. If you have any questions regarding the eligibility criteria, please consult Section 4.1 of the Applicant’s Guide.
  6. If your company is deemed eligible, you will then be able to complete and submit the rest of your application.
  7. Submit a completed application at least 60 business days before the start date of the first proposed activity. Please consult Section 9.3 of the Applicant’s Guide for more details on processing timelines.
  8. If you are having technical problems or need help resetting your password, contact NRC.CanExport-Help-Aide-CanExport.CNRC@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.

Contact information

canexportinnovation@international.gc.ca
Apply to this program