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PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems
Funding to support business growth in British Columbia
Last Update: April 10, 2026
Funding available
No Condition
Timeline
- Open continuously
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Overview
Your not-for-profit organization could get a financial contribution to assist businesses at all stages of development in scaling up and becoming more globally competitive. Investments focus on enhancing business support networks for under-represented groups.
/100
Opportunity Score
Moderate potential, but conditions must align.
At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Increase performance through digital transformation
- Launch or market a product/service
Eligible Funding
- Up to 50% of project cost
Timeline
- Open continuously
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
- Manufacturing
- Information and cultural industries
- Professional, scientific and technical services
Location
- British Columbia
Legal structures
- Non-profit
- Public or Parapublic institution
- For-profit business
- Social economy enterprise
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Indigenous Peoples
- Youth (<40)
- Startups
- Women
Non-profit candidates
Sector of operation
- Higher Education
- Research
- Economic, Social and Community Development
- Employment and Training
- Business Associations
- Diversity and Inclusion
Target groups
- Children & youth
- Young adults
- Indigenous peoples
- Women & girls
- Business owners / entrepreneurs
- Academia / students
Revenue structures
- All structures
Scope
- Regional
- Provincial
Next steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
The activities eligible for this grant are geared towards enhancing regional innovation infrastructures, supporting business scale-up, and increasing productivity across various sectors. The projects also aim at fostering inclusivity among historically under-represented groups in the innovation landscape.
- Technology commercialization, including the development and expansion of facilities for specialized business services and innovation.
- Business scale-up efforts focusing on market development, export promotions, and identifying global demand changes.
- Productivity improvement through technology transfer, new technology implementation, and market entry strategies.
- Ecosystem capacity building, involving strategic business alliances and sector-specific strategy development to tackle scale-up barriers.
- Business acceleration and incubation, providing support for start-up creation and growth, including business planning and market strategy development.
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
RIE is open to not-for-profit organizations that support businesses, innovators, and entrepreneurs focusing on start-up, growth, productivity, technology commercialization, adoption, export, and investment attraction. Eligible applicants include:- Post-secondary educational institutions.- Business accelerators and incubators.- Angel networks.- Indigenous organizations, including Indigenous-led not-for-profit organizations and Indigenous-owned businesses.- Social enterprises.- A group of eligible recipients such as an industry association or consortium.- Municipalities and all other municipal-type organizations.All eligible applicants must be legal entities capable of entering into legally binding agreements.Who is not eligible
There are specific types of companies that are not eligible for this grant. Post-secondary educational institutions, Business Accelerator and Incubators, angel networks, Indigenous organizations, social enterprises, a group of eligible recipients such as an industry association or consortium, and municipalities are eligible, while for-profit companies are not eligible.
- For-profit companies
Eligible expenses
The grant is tailored to bolster regional innovation ecosystems in British Columbia by addressing specific challenges, opportunities, or market needs related to business scale-up and productivity. Eligible activities primarily focus on sectors such as technology commercialization, business scale-up, productivity improvement, ecosystem capacity building, and business acceleration and incubation.
- Enhancing business innovation efforts and establishing, expanding, or modernizing facilities to provide specialized services for businesses.
- Supporting entrepreneurship development and business support in market development, export, and investment attraction.
- Facilitating technology transfer and adoption for new industrial applications and market entry.
- Developing strategic business alliances within specific sectors or clusters and identifying barriers to scale-up and productivity enhancement.
- Providing supports for entrepreneurs to create and grow start-up companies, including expert mentors and specialized equipment.
Eligible geographic areas
The Regional Innovation Ecosystems program is specific to British Columbia and supports designated not-for-profit organizations and their initiatives. The funding aims to enhance and develop regional innovation across the province.
- British Columbia, Canada
Additional information
Here are additional relevant details for this grant:
- PacifiCan's service standard is to provide a funding decision to a client within 90 business days (90% of the time) of receiving a complete funding proposal.
- Successful applicants will sign a standard Contribution Agreement with PacifiCan, which outlines the obligations of the funding recipient.
- Funding is provided through periodic reimbursements based on submission of claims for eligible project costs.
- Potential funding recipients must secure all non-PacifiCan requested project financing (typically, at least 50%) before applying.
- Non-PacifiCan funding should be confirmed with written proof such as letters of intent or current bank statements.
- Projects may vary in duration, typically ranging from a few months to 3 years.
- Reporting includes periodic progress reports at least twice per year.
- Contributions to commercial projects with not-for-profit organizations or any project with for-profit organizations are typically repayable.
Contacts
Frequently Asked Questions about the PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems Program
Here are answers to the most common questions about the PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems. This section explains what the program is, how much funding is available, eligibility requirements, application deadlines, and other important details to help you determine if this grant is right for your business.
What is the PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems?
Your not-for-profit organization could get a financial contribution to assist businesses at all stages of development in scaling up and becoming more globally competitive. Investments focus on enhancing business support networks for under-represented groups.
How much funding can be received?
PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems Funds up to 50% of admissible expenses.
Who is eligible for the PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems program?
To be eligible for the PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems program, you must:
The applicant must be a not-for-profit organization such as a post-secondary educational institution, business accelerator, incubator, or social enterprise.
Eligible recipients include angel networks, Indigenous organizations, and municipalities.
Applicants must be legal entities capable of entering into legally binding agreements.
What expenses are eligible under PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems?
The activities eligible for this grant are geared towards enhancing regional innovation infrastructures, supporting business scale-up, and increasing productivity across various sectors. The projects also aim at fostering inclusivity among historically under-represented groups in the innovation landscape. Technology commercialization, including the development and expansion of facilities for specialized business services and innovation.
Business scale-up efforts focusing on market development, export promotions, and identifying global demand changes.
Productivity improvement through technology transfer, new technology implementation, and market entry strategies.
Ecosystem capacity building, involving strategic business alliances and sector-specific strategy development to tackle scale-up barriers.
Business acceleration and incubation, providing support for start-up creation and growth, including business planning and market strategy development.
Who can I contact for more information about the PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems?
You can contact Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan) by email at info@pacifican.gc.ca or by phone at 1-888-338-9378.
Where is the PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems available?
The PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems program is available the province of British Columbia.
Is the PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems a grant, loan, or tax credit?
PacifiCan — Regional Economic Growth through Innovation — Regional Innovation Ecosystems is a Grant and Funding
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