INVEST North — Innovation Stream
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Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Conditional contribution of up to 50% of eligible R&D and commercialization costs for applied research, demonstration, and commercialization of new technologies in Northern Ontario. R&D-only projects max $500K; combined R&D/commercialization projects max $2M.
Eligibility Requirements
- Private-sector business operating in Northern Ontario (lead applicant and funding recipient)
- Public-private partnerships allowed; academic/research institution may be a partner but private sector must lead
- Project must involve applied R&D, demonstration, or commercialization of new/innovative technologies
- Labour costs eligible only for direct technical staff performing work in Northern Ontario
- Regular operating wages and compensation for owners with 10%+ equity stake are not eligible
- Combined federal and provincial government funding may not exceed 75% of eligible project costs
- Project must demonstrate innovation as defined by NOHFC guidelines
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $2,000,000 (50% of eligible costs; $500K cap for R&D-only projects)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Ongoing
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Difficult — significant preparation needed
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Complex — detailed documentation needed
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipNOHFC evaluates projects against a specific definition of 'innovation' — incremental product improvements often don't qualify.
Success Profile
How INVEST North — Innovation Stream judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 4 source documents, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-07.
4 sources
- INVEST North Program — Investment Innovation Program nohfc.ca
- Innovation Program FAQ nohfc.ca
- NOHFC programmes open for application myportal.nohfc.ca
- catalog-master.json record #309
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What INVEST North — Innovation Stream favours
Develop ideas into new products/services satisfying market need◦
“The development or implementation of ideas to produce new or improved strategies, capabilities, products, services, or processes with a strong focus on ensuring to satisfy a market need or desire”
The form
Project route
- 1Project routeselection
- 2Combined-route intellectual propertycheckbox
- 3Combined-route validationcheckbox
INVEST North — Innovation Stream states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
- 1
Is the technology genuinely new and validated?
Show them Explain what is new or improved and attach the testing and validation evidence behind the claim.◦
In the funder’s words · 2
- Innovation meets the NOHFC’s definition of Innovation
- Level of Risk
- 2
Is there real market demand?
What to show, and the funder’s 1 criterion behind it in Premium
- 3
Can this business deliver the plan?
What to show, and the funder’s 3 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
What does Northern Ontario actually gain?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
Where applicants fail
“In the event that an applicant chooses to include demonstration & commercialization costs in their project, NOHFC will not accept a subsequent application for the same technology.”
“Not all projects meeting the criteria will necessarily receive funding.”
Premium · the rest of this brief
See all 2 rules that can reject you and every criterion you are judged on. Then we draft your application for you.
6 more criteria · 3 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
Your business
Private-sector business, alone or partnered
Private-sector businesses alone, or in partnership with a public sector academic or research institution.
The project
Not for internal efficiency only
Projects intended for internal efficiency purposes only are ineligible.
The money
StackingCombined funding cap 75% of eligible costs
Combined federal and provincial funding may not exceed 75% of eligible costs.
What it pays for · 9
- Direct internal technical labour costs
- Prototyping costs
- Product testing
- Intellectual property protection costs
- Research and development services provided by public sector partners
- Prototype demonstration costs
- Material costs
- Product certification costs
- Marketing costs limited to 20% of total eligible project costs
What it does not pay for · 9
- Land
- Working capital
- Administrative or other indirect operating costs
- Labour costs for any person that owns 10% or more of the applicant business
- In-kind contributions
- Business Plans
- Travel, accommodation and meeting costs
- Office equipment and furnishings
- Vehicles
From application to money
- Choose your routeChoose applied R&D, demo, or combined route
- Submit via portalSubmit application via NOHFC portal
- Staff and Board reviewNOHFC staff and Board review
In the funder’s words · 3
- Choose your route
- Pick applied research & development, demonstration & commercialization, or one combined application.
- Submit via portal
- Applications are submitted through the authenticated NOHFC portal.
- Staff and Board review
- Applications submitted through the portal go to NOHFC staff and Board review.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win INVEST North — Innovation Stream
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 8-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 4-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 not yet documented.
Required Documents 8
Deadline Notes
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Unknown RiskHow INVEST North — Innovation Stream Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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