Amount: up to 50% of eligible costs
Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) provides a combination of non-repayable government grant and repayable government loan that covers up to 50% of the cost of research, development, and commercialization of the products and technologies. There is currently no maximum limit. The program provides government funding for the businesses of any size, and industry across Canada.
Eligibility Criteria: Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Stream 1 – R&D and Commercialization
- Must be a for-profit corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada.
- May be a small, medium or large business.
- May be located anywhere in Canada.
- Must be involved in research & development or commercialization activities within Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 1-9
- Eligible project must support the development of a technology to a higher readiness level which then has the potential to lead to the implementation or commercialization of a resultant product, process or service.
Eligibility Criteria: Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Stream 2 – Firm Expansion & Growth
- Must be a for-profit corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada.
- May be a small, medium or large business.
- May be located anywhere in Canada.
- Must support the expansion or material improvement of existing industrial or technological facilities, or projects
- Eligible project must result in the improved viability of the applicant through company growth, increased efficiency or output capacity
- Must support activities within Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 8-9
- Examples of eligible projects include the capacity increase, productivity improvement through equipment or software upgrade, process efficiency increase.
Eligibility Criteria: Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Stream 3 – Investment Attraction and Reinvestment
- Must be a for-profit corporation incorporated under the laws of Canada.
- May be a small, medium or large business.
- May be located anywhere in Canada.
- Must support activities within Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 2-9
- Eligible project must support new investment in industrial or technological facilities in Canada.
- Eligible project must result in establishing new facilities or bringing new mandates to Canada (products or technologies that have not been made in Canada previously)
Eligibility Criteria: Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Stream 4 – Collaborative Technology Development and Demonstration
- Must be a consortium of the for-profit corporation(s) incorporated under the laws of Canada and Canadian academia.
- May be a small, medium or large business.
- May be located anywhere in Canada.
- Must support activities within Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) 1-7
- Eligible project must support industrial research, including activities related to the discovery of new knowledge that aim to support the development of new technology-driven products, processes or services at early-stage technology readiness levels; and, large-scale technology demonstration, including the advancement and development of new technologies into product-specific applications at mid-to-late stage technology readiness levels.
Ner Zero Accelerator
- This stream provides funding to expedite decarbonization projects with large emitters, scale-up clean technology and accelerate Canada’s industrial transformation across all sectors.
Eligible Cost: Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) – All Streams
- Direct labour
- Overhead (program limits apply)
- Subcontracts and Consultants
- Direct materials and equipment
- Other direct costs
- Land and buildings (limited to construction and development)
Our Focus
- Writing Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Statement of Interest Form;
- Writing Supportive Documentation for Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF);
- Writing Full Application for Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF);
- Assisting in Application Submission;
- Assisting in Reports and Claims Writing.
Examples of Projects Funded by Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
The government provided a $40-million funding to Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc., one of many companies around the world that is trying to build computers in a new way, by harnessing the ephemeral properties of subatomic particles to perform calculations that would take current supercomputers millennia to run.
The funding, through the government’s Strategic Innovation Fund, was announced days after the Liberal government unveiled spending plans for its $360-million, seven-year national quantum strategy.
Under the quantum strategy, Ottawa is committing $141-million for basic and applied research, $45-million to develop and retain expertise in the quantum sector, and $169-million for a range of efforts to support commercialization through funding from agencies including the National Research Council, Global Innovation Clusters and Innovative Solutions Canada.
The government also made a $40-million contribution through the innovation fund to struggling quantum computing pioneer D-Wave Quantum Inc. of Burnaby, B.C., in 2021.
Amount of the Government Grant
Amount: up to 50% of eligible costs.
Information Required to Write the Application for Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
From the applicant:
- Basic information such as CRA number, incorporation date, address and contact information
- Project description or brief
- List of the quantifiable project benefits including sales growth, jobs growth, R&D growth, etc.
From the vendors:
- Quotes or proposals from the vendors of equipment, software, construction firms, consulting firms to support eligible cost
- Labour cost projection based on employees salaries of hourly rates
- Material and other cost estimates.
Eligibility Timeline
The applications for the SIF are accepted on a continuous basis.
Approval Timeline for Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
At this time, the approval timeline is unknown but check back this page in a few months.
Reimbursement Schedule of Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
The applicants will receive up to 50% of the amounts of eligible costs incurred quarterly. The applicants must submit project claims to access the funding. The approval of the application for Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) does not automatically entitle the applicant to the contribution.
Stacking Rules of Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) is stackable with other federal, provincial and municipal funding programs up to a maximum of 75% of eligible costs (streams 1, 2, 3) and 100% of eligible costs (stream 4). The stacking rules with the SR&ED tax credit will be determined in future.
Repayment of Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Contribution
Under Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) the applicant may be awarded a grant or a government loan or a combination of both. The government loan will be conditionally or unconditionally repayable. If approved for a repayable government loan the applicant will have to adhere to the repayment schedule and conditions stipulated in the contribution agreement.
Program’s Budget and Funding Limits
SIF (Strategic Innovation Fund) offers $6.5B in total funding.
Selection Criteria
The government uses multiple merit criteria to select projects for funding. Although merit criteria and application scoring methodology are not available publicly, based on our experience, the selected applicants are those who commit to large-scale R&D-based expansion, create hundreds of jobs and become world leaders in their industries as a result of the project. The SIF will only support large investments in the Canadian economy.
How to Start My Application
Start by verifying your eligibility through our eligibility check form.