Open
Source verified August 6, 2026
Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals
Shared testing infrastructure for clean energy innovation
Funding available
$ 1,000,000 - $ 10,000,000
Deadline
Open continuously
Location
Canada
Who can apply
Legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada including for profit and not for profit organizations, Canadian academic institutions, and utilities
See full eligibility
Overview
Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals supports eligible Canadian recipients across Canada to strengthen shared energy innovation infrastructure and ecosystem capacity. It funds new testing facilities and the expansion or modernization of existing facilities for technology testing, validation, demonstration, prototyping, and certification activities.
/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Develop strategic partnerships
- Improve governance or administrative structure
- Implement environmental initiatives
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 10,000,000 $
- Minimum amount : 1,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Canada
Legal structures
- For-profit business
- Non-profit
- Public or Parapublic institution
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Indigenous Peoples
- Canadians
- Startups
Non-profit candidates
Sector of operation
- All industries
Target groups
- All the groups
Revenue structures
- All structures
Scope
- All dimensions
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Buildout and/or deployment of physical and/or digital infrastructure that results in new and/or expanded service offerings.
- Technology testing, validation, and/or performance verification prior to commercialization.
- Demonstration, pilot testing, prototyping, and/or technology scale-up in controlled environments and/or operationally-integrated test environments.
- Certification, standards testing, and/or system integration validation.
Documents Needed
- Expression of Interest (EOI)
- Full Project Proposal (FPP)
- Letters of Contribution for each partner identified
Official resources
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada including for profit and not for profit organizations, Canadian academic institutions, and utilities
- Provincial, territorial, regional and municipal governments and their departments and agencies where applicable
- Indigenous communities or governments, tribal councils or entities that fulfill a similar function, national or regional Indigenous councils or tribal organizations, and for-profit or not-for-profit organizations majority owned and controlled by Indigenous people
Who is not eligible
- Federal government labs
- Other government departments
Eligible expenses
- Salaries and benefits for employees on the payroll of the recipient for the actual time spent on the project
- Training and workshops
- Professional, scientific, technical and contracting services
- Travel expenditures, including meals and accommodation
- Capital expenditures such as the purchase, installation, testing and commissioning of qualifying equipment, materials and products
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- Deferred maintenance costs
- The federal government's own internal operations
- The acquisition of land, buildings, works, machinery and equipment, or construction or creation of assets for the federal government
Eligible geographic areas
- Canada
Selection criteria
- NRCan may prioritize projects at the EOI and FPP stages based on departmental priorities such as regional balance in Canada, strategic value and socio-economic considerations, and advancing IDEA in the natural resources sector, and the time at which submissions are received may impact the order of priority for project review and selection.
- Projects that serve a broad and identifiable user base and, when the project includes partnerships, partner with Canadian organizations.
- Projects that implement open, transparent access policies, including published pricing and clear user intake processes.
- Projects that implement an IP policy that does not restrict the users’ agency over their own IP strategies.
- Projects that demonstrate commercially reasonable efforts to support the Buy Canadian Policy.
How to apply
- Determine your eligibility to apply by reviewing the Applicant guide.
- Complete and submit an EOI via the application portal.
- If invited, complete and submit an FPP via the application portal.
- Register or sign-in with a Canadian bank account or using a GCKey.
Processing and Agreement
- EOIs will be reviewed by a Technical Review Committee.
- FPPs will be reviewed by a Technical Review Committee.
- If the EOI is deemed eligible and aligned with CFP objectives, the applicant will be invited to the FPP phase.
- If the FPP is deemed eligible and aligned with CFP objectives, the applicant will be notified that their project has been conditionally selected for funding and will be invited to begin due diligence.
- If additional information or clarification is needed, the Program will contact applicants and the date of reception of the additional information will become the new date of reception of the completed application.
Additional information
- Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until all available program funding has been allocated.
- The project selection process has two phases: Expression of Interest (EOI) and Full Project Proposal (FPP).
- Applicants invited to the FPP phase will be required to provide a letter of contribution for each identified partner.
- NRCan will not have meetings or calls with individual applicants during the intake period.
Contacts
Other components of this program
Explore related funding streams and grants that belong to the same program.
- Energy Innovation Program – Clean Energy Technology Innovation component (Voted)Supports clean energy technology innovation
- Energy Innovation Program – Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Demonstration component (Voted)Supports next-generation EV charging infrastructure demonstration
- Energy Innovation Program – National Energy Systems Modelling CallSupports energy systems modelling for net-zero planning
- Energy Innovation Program — Clean Fuels Call for ProposalsAdvances clean fuel technologies for environmental sustainability
- Energy Innovation Program — Testing Facilities Call for ProposalsSupports shared testing infrastructure for energy innovators
- Net Zero Emerging Concepts and Technologies Research ProgramSupports emerging net-zero clean technology research
- On-road Transportation Decarbonization — Demonstration ProjectsSupport for on-road transport decarbonization projects
- On-road Transportation Decarbonization — R&D ProjectsOn-road transportation decarbonization support
Frequently Asked Questions about the Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals Program
What is the Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals?
Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals supports eligible Canadian recipients across Canada to strengthen shared energy innovation infrastructure and ecosystem capacity. It funds new testing facilities and the expansion or modernization of existing facilities for technology testing, validation, demonstration, prototyping, and certification activities.
How much funding can be received?
Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals Funds up to 50% of admissible expenses, capped at $10,000,000 per project.
Who is eligible for the Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals program?
To be eligible for the Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals program, you must:
The applicant must be responsible for the testing facility infrastructure.
The project must have a confirmed location in Canada and identify all non-NRCan funding sources.
The project must demonstrate long-term operational sustainability, open access beyond the founding organization and core affiliates, and an IP/data management approach that protects confidentiality and sensitive information.
What expenses are eligible under Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals?
Buildout and/or deployment of physical and/or digital infrastructure that results in new and/or expanded service offerings.
Technology testing, validation, and/or performance verification prior to commercialization.
Demonstration, pilot testing, prototyping, and/or technology scale-up in controlled environments and/or operationally-integrated test environments.
Certification, standards testing, and/or system integration validation.
Who can I contact for more information about the Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals?
You can contact Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) by email at eipiee-piefei@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
Where is the Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals available?
The Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals program is available across Canada.
Is the Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals a grant, loan, or tax credit?
Energy Innovation Program — Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals is a Grant and Funding