Closed
Source verified August 14, 2026
NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge
Strategic manufacturing support for COVID-19 supply resilience
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Funding available
$ 2,000,000
Deadline
Closed
Location
Canada
Who can apply
Any member of NGen may submit an application for project funding or apply to be considered as a partner or co-investor in projects.
See full eligibility
Overview
NGen’s Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge supports NGen members in Canada with 50% reimbursement of eligible project costs up to $2 million per project for critical manufacturing capacity. Eligible work includes adopting advanced manufacturing technologies, establishing manufacturing capabilities, and purchasing advanced manufacturing equipment for PPE, medical devices, and sterilization products.
Receipt of requests is now closed
Get notified about updates to this grant.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Develop strategic partnerships
- Increase production or service capacity
- Increase operational productivity
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 2,000,000 $
- Up to 50% of project cost
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Canada
Legal structures
- All legal structures
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- All groups
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Adoption or development of advanced manufacturing technologies.
- Establishment of manufacturing capabilities in Canada for critical products, including PPE, medical devices, materials and components for health care products, disinfecting and sterilization products, drugs, vaccines, and other therapeutic products.
Documents Needed
- Intellectual Property Strategy
- Project Management Plan
- Risk Register
- Financial Workbook template in Excel
- Signed Application Agreement template in PDF
Official resources
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Any member of NGen may submit an application for project funding or apply to be considered as a partner or co-investor in projects.
- Recipients of Supercluster funding must be incorporated in Canada.
Eligible expenses
- Capital expenditures for the purchase of Advanced Manufacturing equipment.
Ineligible Costs and Activities
- The design of products themselves.
- Experimental or theoretical work without any direct commercial application or use.
- Early-stage development without a functioning prototype and/or without a plan for appropriate certification and approval in the project timeframe.
- Production activities themselves or activities that subsidize full-scale production, including routine or periodic changes to existing products, production lines, manufacturing processes, services, and other ongoing operations.
- Anti-competitive activities, activities where benefits accrue to a single firm or organization, projects that would be undertaken at the same scale or scope and within the same timeframe without Supercluster funding, and partners sub-contracting labour services to the project.
Eligible geographic areas
- Canada
Selection criteria
- Critical needs identified by the Government of Canada.
- Long-term viability of manufacturing the products in Canada.
- Ability to produce products that are safe for use and meet required product and production quality standards.
- Projects are reviewed against the latest Health Canada guidelines at the time of assessment.
- Applications are assessed competitively by independent expert panels and scored out of 80 marks across 8 equally weighted questions; a portfolio approach may also consider the type and quantities of products to be manufactured and the quality of the project proposal.
How to apply
- Register as an Organizational NGen member.
- Use the dedicated NGen application portal, which opens on July 9th following the Challenge webinar, to enter the project information.
Processing and Agreement
- Applications are reviewed by independent expert panels.
- Following the final recommendation of an independent assessment, NGen will conclude a Master Project Agreement with selected funding recipients.
- The Master Project Agreement sets out project requirements, reporting, and NGen’s compliance obligations.
- Partners in selected projects must submit all required documentation, along with a signed Master Project Agreement, prior to funding.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge Program
What is the NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge?
NGen’s Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge supports NGen members in Canada with 50% reimbursement of eligible project costs up to $2 million per project for critical manufacturing capacity. Eligible work includes adopting advanced manufacturing technologies, establishing manufacturing capabilities, and purchasing advanced manufacturing equipment for PPE, medical devices, and sterilization products.
How much funding can be received?
NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge Funds up to 50% of admissible expenses, capped at $2,000,000 per project.
Who is eligible for the NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge program?
To be eligible for the NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge program, you must:
The project must involve at least two private sector partners contributing to project costs.
The project must include at least two industry partners, including a lead partner and at least one other.
The applicant must be an NGen member, and recipients of Supercluster funding must be incorporated in Canada.
What expenses are eligible under NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge?
Adoption or development of advanced manufacturing technologies.
Establishment of manufacturing capabilities in Canada for critical products, including PPE, medical devices, materials and components for health care products, disinfecting and sterilization products, drugs, vaccines, and other therapeutic products.
Who can I contact for more information about the NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge?
You can contact Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) by email at challenge@ngen.ca.
Where is the NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge available?
The NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge program is available across Canada.
Is the NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge a grant, loan, or tax credit?
NGen — Made Smarter: Strategic Supply Challenge is a Grant and Funding