Energy Innovation Program
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Winning means you must credit the funder publicly. 16 ask that.
- Has a stated policy on using AI to write your application. Only 21 say anything about it.
- What does not disqualify you: Indigenous consultation not required; Partners not confirmed at EOI. 119 record an exemption like this.
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Who actually receives this funding
159 businesses received this funding in 2025 — 466 awards since 2018. Typical award: $1.54M. Half of all awards fall between $750K and $3.62M. The advertised maximum is $10M — most awards land closer to $1.54M. 47% of recipients are for-profit businesses. Top provinces: Ontario 32% · Alberta 26% · British Columbia 14%. Covers: NRCan Energy Innovation Program contributions (all recipients: for-profit firms, universities, Indigenous govts, non-profits). Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure data · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · Data through Q3 2026.
The typical Energy Innovation Program award is $1.54M — the median of 466 awards since 2018, even though the program advertises up to $10M. In 2025, 159 businesses were funded.
Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure
Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Supports research, development and demonstration of clean energy technologies (including renewable, smart grid, energy efficiency, and other clean energy solutions).
Eligibility Requirements
- Must be a legal entity incorporated or registered in Canada: for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, utilities, governments and Indigenous organizations can apply, and Canadian academic institutions can apply to the Innovation Ecosystem Enablers call (not the CCUS FEED call)
- Project must involve research, development, or demonstration of clean energy technologies
- Eligible technology areas include renewable energy, smart grid, energy efficiency, carbon capture, utilization and storage (the open CCUS FEED call) and other clean energy solutions
- Industry-led projects preferred; academic applicants typically must partner with industry
- Must contribute cost-share alongside the federal contribution. On the CCUS FEED call, the applicant's cash contribution must be at least equal to the amount requested from the Program
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- $3M-$7M per project (CCUS FEED call); $1M-$10M per project (Innovation Ecosystem Enablers call). Other calls set their own ranges.
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 75% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Continuous intake on the two open calls (CCUS FEED, and Innovation Ecosystem Enablers: testing facilities) until funding is allocated. No fixed closing date.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Difficult — significant preparation needed
Very high competition — highly selective
Very complex — extensive preparation required
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipEIP is an umbrella of calls, not a single program — monitor the main page and subscribe to NRCan notifications to catch new calls early.
Rejection Pitfalls 10
- Project does not align with the specific call's technology focus areas or TRL requirements
Success Profile
How Natural Resources Canada judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents on natural-resources.canada.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-10.
6 of the sources
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What Natural Resources Canada favours
Strong applications have a cohesive narrative across separately scored sections◦
“Although each section is evaluated separately, strong applications always have a cohesive narrative.”
The form
Portal and EOI form
- 1Register in the OERD applicant portalshort answer
- 2EOI application form (portal; wording unpublished)written answer
CCUS FEED: eligibility and category
- 3Applicant eligibility and asset ownership (CCUS FEED)selection
- 4CCUS project categoryselection
CCUS FEED: scope, value chain and readiness
- 5FEED scope, technology readiness and value for public fundingwritten answer
This call is for FEED projects advancing past late-stage demonstration to first commercial installations, meaning that projects should be past a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8, working towards final investment decision for deployment at TRL 9.
- 6Plans for the parts of the CCUS value chain outside this FEEDwritten answer
- 7DAC projects: location, low-carbon energy and CO2 transport evidence (conditional)written answer
- 8Transport and storage hubs: hub development plan (conditional)written answer
- 9Key partners, their value-chain roles, and supporting agreementstable
- 10Project development status: FEL 2 clearedyes/no + written
CCUS FEED: required documents
- 11Required documents: technical and engineering maturitylist
- 12Required documents: commercial and financial viabilitylist
- 13Required documents: implementation readinesslist
CCUS FEED: locations, funding, IP and consents
- 14Project locationsshort answer
- 15Funding request and applicant cash contributiontable
- 16Knowledge sharing and public outcomes reportwritten answer
- 17Intellectual property positionwritten answer
- 18IDEA workplace information (voluntary)checkboxes
- 19Permission to share the application (Trusted Partners)checkbox
CCUS FEED: FPP phase
- 20FPP: federal landsyes/no + written
- 21FPP: prior Indigenous consultation or engagementyes/no + written
IEE testing: eligibility and activities
- 22Applicant eligibility and facility responsibility (IEE testing facilities)selection
- 23Facility service activities supportedcheckboxes
IEE testing: need, sustainability, access and readiness
- 24Unmet need in Canada's energy innovation ecosystemwritten answer
- 25Pathway to operational sustainabilitywritten answer
- 26Governance and external access modelwritten answer
- 27Project development status (readiness framework)selection
- 28Confirmed location in Canadashort answer
IEE testing: funding, IP, partners and benefits
- 29Funding request and other funding sourcestable
- 30IP and data management approachwritten answer
- 31Project partners (optional at EOI)table
- 32Societal benefits and IDEAwritten answer
- 33Knowledge products and disseminationwritten answer
- 34IDEA workplace information (voluntary)checkboxes
All calls: FPP changes and templates
- 35FPP: rationale for changes since the EOIwritten answer
- 36FPP: budget, statement of work and GHG templatesspreadsheet
Selected projects: due diligence
- 37Due diligence (selected projects): financial and legallist
Natural Resources Canada states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Is this CCUS project mature enough to build?
Show them Show the project cleared FEL 2, sits past TRL 8, and has a Class 3 cost estimate, a refined risk register and a Level 2 schedule ready for FEED.◦
In the funder’s words · 2
- Project selection will be based on an evaluation framework that requires demonstrable proof of technical and engineering maturity, commercial and financial viability, and implementation readiness.
- EOI evaluation – EOIs will be reviewed by a Technical Review Committee
- 2
Is the whole CCUS chain and money stack real?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 3
Does Canada actually need this testing facility?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
Will the benefits and IP stay in Canada?
What to show, and the funder’s 3 criteria behind it in Premium
4 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Where applicants fail
“Please note, the program does not provide feedback to applicants who do not advance beyond the Expression of Interest phase”
“Do not refer to external sources, and integrate all necessary content into the application and eligible supplementary documents”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 9 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
7 more rules that can reject you · 6 more criteria · 34 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
Your business
Incorporated or registered in Canada
Eligible Canadian recipients include the following legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada:
The project
Cleared FEL 2 stage
Eligible projects will have cleared the FEL 2 stage and be prepared to undertake FEL 3/FEED activities in a project supported by funding under this call.
AI use “Generative AI in the development of an application for the Program should be used for support purposes only such as improving efficiency, assisting non-native English and French speakers, and streamlining the application writing process.”
2 things this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
CCUS FEED award$3,000,000–$7,000,000, up to 50% (75% Indigenous)
The call is open to projects that request between $3,000,000 and $7,000,000, comprising up to 50% of eligible total project cost (or 75% for Indigenous applicants), over a period of up to a maximum of five years.
IEE testing award$1,000,000–$10,000,000, up to 50% (100% Indigenous)
The CFP is open to projects that request between $1,000,000 and $10,000,000, comprising up to 50% of eligible total project cost (or 100% for Indigenous applicants), over a period of up to a maximum of five years.
Reimbursement modelQuarterly reimbursement, spend upfront
On funding, our contribution agreements are based on a reimbursement model: the proponent will spend the money up front and is then reimbursed on a quarterly basis.
Indigenous minimum shareNo minimum contribution for Indigenous applicants
There is no minimum applicant contribution for Indigenous applicants.
Your shareApplicant cash share must match or exceed request
The applicant's cash contribution to the project must be equal or greater than the contribution requested from the Program.
StackingUp to 50%; 100% for Indigenous, publicly owned
Stacking of funding (i.e. total government support for a project) will be supported to a maximum of 50% of the Total project cost, with Indigenous organizations and utilities that are majority publicly owned eligible for a 100% maximum.
Costs before approvalRetroactive costs capped at 30% of contribution
Retroactive expenditures will be limited to 30% of NRCan’s contribution.
What it pays for · 4
- Salaries and benefits for employees on the payroll of the recipient for the actual time spent by the employees on the project
- Professional, scientific, technical and contracting services
- 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
- Overhead expenditures can be included as eligible expenditures to a maximum of 15% of eligible expenditures.
What it does not pay for · 2
- the reimbursable portion of federal and provincial taxes
- Additionally, expenditures ineligible either for reimbursement or for inclusion as part of the total project cost (non-permissible expenditures) include the purchase of land.
From application to money
- Submit your EOIRolling review until funding allocated
- Invitation to FPPInvited applicants only move to full proposal
- Submit full proposalComplete budget, work plan, GHG templates
- Conditional selectionConditional selection, then due diligence
- Due diligence and agreementTwo months to complete due diligence
- Funding startsFunding from April 1, 2026 or 2027
In the funder’s words · 6
- Submit your EOI
- This call uses a continuous intake model, where applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until all available program funding has been allocated.
- Invitation to FPP
- Only invited applicants move on to the full project proposal stage.
- Submit full proposal
- Invited applicants complete the OERD budget, statement of work and greenhouse gas impact templates.
- Conditional selection
- NRCan conditionally selects projects, then runs financial, legal, regulatory and technical due diligence.
- Due diligence and agreement
- Selected applicants will have two months to fulfill all due diligence requirements.
- Funding starts
- CCUS FEED funding is available beginning on April 1, 2026, and IEE testing funding is available beginning on April 1, 2027.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win Energy Innovation Program
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 10 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 15-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 8-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 6-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 15
Eligible Expenses 9
Ineligible Expenses 7
Deadline Notes
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskHow Energy Innovation Program Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Innovation Program | $3M-$7M | Hard | Reimbursement | Continuous intake on the... |
| SREPs Indigenous-Led Clean Energy Stream | Up to $25 million | Hard | Varies | Between intakes -... |
| NRC IRAP Clean Technology Program | $100,000–$500,000 | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing |
| Canada Growth Fund | $25,000,000 to $200,000,000+ | Hard | Equity | Ongoing |
| Strategic Response Fund (formerly Str... | Minimum $10 million contribution | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing — continuous... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about Energy Innovation Program