Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund — Open Call
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- Winning means you must assign rights to the funder. 9 ask that.
- Asks 14 written answers. The median programme we have read asks 5.
- You have to fund part of this yourself, stated as 25%.
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
A rolling grant fund that supports pre-commercial clean energy innovation, technology demonstrations, and R&D projects anywhere in British Columbia. Funded through a levy on certain BC energy sales, the ICE Fund has committed over $124 million since 2008 to clean energy technology developers, emerging clean tech companies, universities, First Nations, and municipalities. The Open Call accepts applications year-round with no fixed deadline.
Eligibility Requirements
- Any Canadian legal entity (for-profit and not-for-profit organizations are eligible)
- Project must take place within British Columbia
- At application the project should be at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4-7, and it must show how it will progress the technology towards commercialization
- Projects focused on clean energy innovation, technology demonstration, R&D, or energy efficiency
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Varies by project; fund has committed $124M+ since 2008 across hundreds of projects
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 75% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Ongoing (Open Call, rolling intake)
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
High competition — many applicants
Moderate — standard requirements
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipThe mandatory first step is submitting an Inquiry Form — do not attempt to submit a full application without this.
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How the Government of British Columbia judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents on www2.gov.bc.ca, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-10.
6 of the sources
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What the Government of British Columbia favours
Strong consortium and relationships with adopters, customers, partners◦
“The strength of the project consortium, including existing and potential relationships with clean energy technology adopters, customers, and other partners.”
The form
Applicant and project basics
- 1Project nameshort answer
- 2Organization nameshort answer
- 3Canadian entity screenselection
- 4Organization addressshort answer
- 5Websiteshort answer
- 6Project technology descriptionwritten answer
Project technology description (2-3 sentences maximum)
- 7Contact Informationlist
Project description and plan
- 8Project Descriptionwritten answer
- 9Project Timelinewritten answer
- 10Value propositionwritten answer
Technology and environmental benefits
- 11Technology innovationwritten answer
- 12Environmental benefitswritten answer
- 13Energy savingswritten answer
- 14GHG reductionswritten answer
Readiness, IP and location
- 15TRL 4-7 screenselection
- 16TRL exception explanationwritten answer
- 17TRL start and endshort answer
- 18Pre-commercial statuswritten answer
- 19IP ownershipwritten answer
- 20BC demonstration screenselection
- 21Demonstration locationshort answer
Partners and budget
- 22Partnerslist
- 23Total project costshort answer
- 24Funding breakdownshort answer
- 25Applicant contributionshort answer
- 26ICE Fund requestshort answer
- 27Additional informationwritten answer
Later stages (by invitation)
- 28Application Stage — structured online presentationwritten answer
- 29Proposal Stage — full project proposalwritten answer
the Government of British Columbia states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Is the core technology genuinely new?
Show them State the TRL at start and end, what is technically new versus commercial alternatives, and who owns the IP.◦
In the funder’s words · 1
- Strength and Innovation of the Clean Energy Technology
- 2
Can this team plan and fund the work?
What to show, and the funder’s 3 criteria behind it in Premium
- 3
Will it sell and scale in BC?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
What energy and GHG savings result?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
15 questions the reviewer answers about you, in Premium.
Where applicants fail
“The application is not written in English.”
“ICE Fund is focused on core technology innovation rather than new configurations of commercial technologies”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 11 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 · 23 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
You
Applicant or partner funds 25%
The application and/or consortium partner* must contribute a minimum of 25% to eligible project costs.
The project
At TRL 4-7 when applying
At the time of the application, projects should be in the range of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4-7.
Project located in British Columbia
The project under an application must take place within British Columbia.
Government funding under 75%
Total government funding at the time of application and through the term of the project must not exceed 75%.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Funding range$50,000–$3,000,000; up to 75%
Generally between $50,000 and $3,000,000 and up to 75% of eligible costs are allocated for projects.
Fund may offer lessLess than requested
The ICE Fund reserves the right to offer less funding than requested.
Your shareMinimum 25% eligible project costs
The application and/or consortium partner* must contribute a minimum of 25% to eligible project costs.
StackingTotal government funding must not exceed 75%
Total government funding at the time of application and through the term of the project must not exceed 75%.
What it pays for · 1
- In general, Eligible Costs include goods, services, professional and technical costs required to plan and conduct project activities, the cost of capital items that have no residual value beyond the scope of the project, and the depreciation cost of capital items that have a residual value beyond the scope of the project.
From application to money
- Contact ICE Fund staffAsk staff about mandate/TRL eligibility
- Submit Inquiry FormSubmit Inquiry Form; continuous intake
- Online presentation3-6 weeksOnline presentation within 3-6 weeks
- Submit full proposal4-8 weeksSubmit full proposal within 4-8 weeks
- Final evaluation2-4 weeksFinal evaluation within 2-4 weeks
- Sign contract2 weeksSign contract within 2 weeks
In the funder’s words · 6
- Contact ICE Fund staff
- Ask ICE Fund staff about the mandate or TRL eligibility before you submit.
- Submit Inquiry Form
- The Open Call for Innovation and Partnerships is a continuous open intake.
- Online presentation
- Applications that meet criteria will be asked to present their applications in a structured online meeting.
- Submit full proposal
- Applications that pass the online presentation session will be offered the opportunity to submit a full project proposal.
- Final evaluation
- Applicants that do not receive funding may request feedback.
- Sign contract
- Applicants will sign a contract with the Province that includes terms on milestone reporting.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win ICE
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 5-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 6-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 5-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 5
Eligible Expenses 6
Ineligible Expenses 3
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskHow ICE Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about ICE