Energy Innovation Program — Clean Fuels Call for Proposals

Who is eligible?

• For-profit organizations incorporated or registered in Canada
• Not-for-profit organizations incorporated or registered in Canada
• Indigenous communities or governments
• Tribal Councils or entities that perform similar functions
• National or regional Indigenous councils or tribal organizations
• Indigenous for-profit or not-for-profit organizations with majority Indigenous ownership and control
• Provincial and territorial governments and their departments and agencies (Focus area 2)

Eligible expenses

• Salaries and benefits for employees on the payroll of the Recipient for the actual time spent by the employees on the project.
• Training and workshops.
• Professional, scientific, technical, and contracting services.
• Travel expenditures, including meals and accommodation, based on National Joint Council Rates, adjusted to reflect costs in Northern and remote areas, where appropriate.
• Capital expenditures such as the purchase, installation, testing and commissioning of qualifying equipment, materials and products, including diagnostic, testing tools and instruments, and original equipment manufacturer equipment warranty (including extended warranties where deemed appropriate to mitigate risk and lack of capacity).
• Laboratory and field supplies and materials.
• Printing services and translation.
• Data collection services, including processing, analysis, and management.
• Facility costs for seminars, conference room rentals, etc. (excluding hospitality).
• Construction insurance.
• Accreditation.
• License fees and permits.
• Honoraria.
• Field testing services.
• Overhead expenditures, provided they are directly related to the conduct of the project and can be attributed to it, up to a maximum of 15% of Eligible Expenditures. These include administrative and corporate support provided directly by the Recipient's employees, routine laboratory and field equipment maintenance, and office operating expenses directly related to the project.
• GST, PST, or HST, net of any tax rebate to which the Recipient is entitled.

• Indigenous applicants can apply for up to 100% of the total project cost, subject to maximum contributions specified.
• The program encourages collaboration and leveraging of partnerships, although this requirement does not apply to Indigenous applicants.
• Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) reserves the right to assess project proposals to ensure alignment with Government of Canada policy and program priorities at both the Expression of Interest (EOI) and Full Project Proposal (FPP) phases.
• Funding will be available between April 1, 2026, and March 31, 2031.
• Successful applicants will need to enter into a contribution agreement with NRCan before funding is confirmed.
• The grant includes non-repayable contributions for pre-commercial projects with Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1-9.
• NRCan is working with a network of "Trusted Partners" to explore co-funding opportunities. Consent for information sharing is required for NRCan to explore these possibilities.
• Projects must include knowledge dissemination activities and provide NRCan with copies of all knowledge products developed under the project.
• All projects are subject to a due diligence assessment covering financial, technical, legal, and regulatory aspects before final approval.
• Applicants invited to the FPP phase and subsequent funding recipients are expected to fulfill inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) objectives within their projects.