ISC Testing Stream (Innovative Solutions Canada)
Compared with the 242 other application forms we have read
- The heaviest thing to produce is forward financial projections. 7 ask for that.
- Winning means you must assign rights to the funder. 9 ask that.
- Scored mainly on how novel the work is. Only 10 lead with that.
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Who actually receives this funding
9 businesses received this funding in 2025 — 130 awards since 2018. Typical award: $200K. Half of all awards fall between $150K and $995K. 99% of recipients are for-profit businesses. Top sectors among classified recipients: Computer systems design services, Automatic environment control mfg, Communications equipment. Top provinces: Ontario 43% · Quebec 24% · British Columbia 15%. Covers: ISC Testing Stream (R&D contracts by ISED, NRC, AAFC) — same disclosure population as catalogIds 8 and 600; Testing Stream not separable from Challenge Stream at the prog_name_en level. Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure data · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · Data through Q4 2026.
The typical ISC Testing Stream award is $200K — the median of 130 awards since 2018. In 2025, 9 businesses were funded; 99% were for-profit companies.
Named recipients
Recent recipients of the ISC Testing Stream include Volta Energy Inc (Scarborough, ON, 2026), Alfapur Technologies Inc. (Sainte Catherine, QC, 2026) and TerraFixing Inc. (Ottawa, ON, 2026).
- 2026Volta Energy Inc
- 2026Alfapur Technologies Inc.
- 2026TerraFixing Inc.
- 2026VEI Contracting
- 2025Chalumeau
- 2025Dark Matter Materials Inc.
- 2025Saltworks
- 2025Trium Environmental Inc.
- 2025Facca Inc.
- 2024Ekstera Inc.
Show 23 more recipients
- 2024Qubic Inc.
- 2024aiRadar Inc.
- 2024Irreversible Inc.
- 2024Plascon Plastics Corporation
- 2024Kinova Inc.
- 2024Exonetik Inc.
- 2024E.O.I Technologies
- 20231QBit
- 20235REDO
- 2023Response Biomedical Corporation
- 2023PharmaPlanter Technologies Inc
- 2022One Lightwave Mfg.
- 2022E.O.I. Technologies Inc.
- 2022Roswell
- 2022Sanozone Technologies Incorporated
- 2021LuminUltra Technologies Ltd.
- 2021Mode40 Ltd
- 2021Analytika
- 2021Cole Webber Productions, Inc.
- 2021Roswell Downhole Technologies Inc
- 2021Precision ADM Inc.
- 2020Precision Al Inc.
- 2019Titan Clean Energy Projects Corp.
Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure
Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Government departments procure and test pre-commercial Canadian technologies in real operational environments. Eligible applicants receive R&D contracts up to $1.1M (standard) or $2.3M (military) — the successor to the Build in Canada Program (BCIP, 2010).
Eligibility Requirements
- Private companies, public companies, not-for-profit organizations, universities, and individuals can all apply
- Must be a Canadian Supplier: a place of business in Canada, identified by name, where you work on a permanent basis. At least 50% of your full-time employees, your wages, salaries and fees, and your senior executives (VP and above) must be in Canada, counting affiliates
- Innovation must be pre-commercial — not yet available in the marketplace
- Innovation must be a new invention, significantly modified technology, or meaningful improvement in functionality/cost/performance
- Must own or have a license for the IP
- Ready for real-world testing (solution must be fully developed, not just a concept)
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- R&D contracts up to $1,100,000 (standard challenges) or $2,300,000 (military challenges)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 100% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Periodic calls, each open for about 3 weeks. No Testing Stream call is open now (the latest closed June 17, 2026); the next call date is not yet published.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Moderate — standard application process
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Moderate — standard requirements
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipUnlike the Challenge Stream (which requires addressing a specific government challenge), the Testing Stream accepts any pre-commercial innovation ready for real-world testing.
Rejection Pitfalls 6
- Innovation already commercially available in the marketplace (must be pre-commercial)
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
How ISC Testing Stream (Innovative Solutions C... judges your application
What the reviewer scores, what gets applications rejected, and what to write.
Distilled from 6+ source documents, condensed into one brief. Sources as of 2026-09-10.
6 of the sources
- Testing Stream for innovators ised-isde.canada.ca
- Enhancing capabilities in complex environments ised-isde.canada.ca
- Quantum ised-isde.canada.ca
- Trust and verification in digital government ised-isde.canada.ca
- CanadaBuys tender notice: Solicitation of Offers TS13 - Innovative… canadabuys.canada.ca
- Solicitation of Offers EN578-26ISC1 canadabuys.canada.ca
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What ISC Testing Stream (Innovative Solutions C... favours
Technical descriptions, quantifiable data, scientific evidence; no marketing pitch◦
“Provide clear and detailed answers with technical descriptions, quantifiable data and scientific evidence – not a marketing pitch!”
The form
Certifications
- 1Certification: Canadian offerorcheckbox
- 2Certification: Canadian content (80%)checkbox
- 3Certification: IP ownership or exclusive licencecheckbox
- 4Certification: Pre-commercial statuscheckbox
- 5Certification: Offeror presence in Canadacheckboxes
Screening criteria
- 6MC1: Previously conditionally qualified innovationyes/no + written
The proposed innovation or any other versions of the proposed innovation must not have been previously awarded a contract under the Build in Canada Innovation Program(BCIP) or its predecessor, the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP), nor under the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) Testing Stream.
- 7SC1: Innovationwritten answer
The offeror must demonstrate that the proposed innovation aligns with Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) definition of innovation.
- 8SC2: Operational readiness validationwritten answer
- 9SC3: Risks considerationswritten answer
- 10SC4: Scope - outcomes (problem statement selection)selection + written
Scored criteria
- 11PS1: Advance on state of the art (40 points, minimum 24)written answer
- 12PS2: Intellectual Property (IP) strategy (12 points, minimum 8)written answer
- 13PR1: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) benefits (12 points)written answer
- 14PR2: Commercialization strategy (32 points)written answer
Financial offer and integrity
- 15Section G - Financial offertable
- 16Integrity: List of Nameslist
ISC Testing Stream (Innovative Solutions C... states no length limits for these answers.
Judged against
ISC Testing Stream (Innovative Solutions C... publishes its score sheet. in Premium
- 1
Is this genuinely new, not the next release?
Show them Name the state-of-the-art comparator you beat and give measurable evidence behind each improvement.◦
In the funder’s words · 2
- SC1: Innovation
- PS1: Advance on state of the art (40 points, minimum 24) 40 points
- 2
Can it be tested in the field now?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 3
Does it fit the call and the market?
What to show, and the funder’s 2 criteria behind it in Premium
- 4
Is the offeror eligible, protected and priceable?
What to show, and the funder’s 3 criteria behind it in Premium
Where applicants fail
“The stated advancements are not substantiated with specific, measurable evidence.”
“The proposed innovation is poorly described and does not permit concrete analysis”
Premium · the rest of this brief
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7 more rules that can reject you · 7 more criteria · 14 more prompts
Do you pass?
Each one can rule you out. Tick the ones you meet.
You
Canadian Supplier only
This means that only Canadian Suppliers, as defined in the Annex Solicitation of Offers Definitions, are eligible for this solicitation of offers.
The project
80% Canadian content
At least 80% of the financial proposal costs, the total proposal price to Canada stated in "Section G – Financial Proposal," must be Canadian goods or Canadian services.
1 thing this funder says you do NOT need, in Premium.
Documents to attach
Ticks are kept on this device.
The money
Maximum contract valueup to $2.3M CAD
The maximum contract value under this solicitation is $2.3M CAD
In-kind above capAbove $2.3M CAD treated as in-kind
Any amount proposed above $2.3M CAD will be treated as an in-kind contribution unless and until it is formally approved by the ISC program.
Offer validity480 calendar days
Offers will remain open for acceptance for a period of not less 480 calendar days from solicitation of offers closing date
Monthly billingMonthly forecasts; invoice after delivery
Submit monthly billing forecasts. Only invoice after delivery—advance billing is not permitted.
Work completion windowWork within 12 months of award
Canada reserves the right to require that all Work, including delivery of the Innovation, be completed within 12 months from the date of any resulting contract award.
Costs before approvalTesting starts after contract approval
Testing cannot begin until the contract is approved and active.
What it pays for · 1
- Canada will reimburse the Contractor for the authorized travel and living expenses that the Contractor reasonably and properly incurs in performing the Work, at cost, without any allowance for profit or administrative overhead
What it does not pay for · 1
- The Financial Proposal must not include costs for commercial development activities such as quantity production, supply to establish commercial viability, integration, customization, incremental adaptions and improvements to existing products or processes that have been previously commercialized, third party tested or for the cost of obtaining health and safety / regulatory certifications.
From application to money
- Call opens2026-05-27Call opens 2026-05-27
- Ask questionsWritten questions due before closing
- Submit the offer2026-06-17Submit offer by 2026-06-17
- Conditional qualificationPSPC debrief; pool published on ISC site
- Department matchDepartment match on Test Verification Form
- Negotiate price and contractNegotiate price with PSPC before award
In the funder’s words · 6
- Call opens
- Each call window runs about three weeks and closes at 14:00 Eastern.
- Ask questions
- Questions go in writing to the contracting authority during the call, up to five business days before closing.
- Submit the offer
- Complete the certifications, the criteria answers and the financial offer in the ISC Web-Portal; the latest time-stamped offer counts.
- Conditional qualification
- PSPC sends a debrief letter; conditionally qualified offers enter a pool published on the ISC site.
- Department match
- A matched department works with you and ISC on the Test Verification Form and a Statement of Work.
- Negotiate price and contract
- Price is negotiated with PSPC before any resulting contract is awarded.
Quoted lines are word for word from the source documents; lines marked ◦ are our reading of them.
Everything you need to win ISC Testing Stream (Innovative Solutions C...
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 6 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 7-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 7-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- 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
Required Documents 7
Eligible Expenses 5
Ineligible Expenses 4
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
- 6 more application steps
- 5 more required documents
- 5 eligible expenses
- 4 ineligible expenses
- Intake periods
- Deadline notes
- Ineligible organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Low RiskHow ISC Testing Stream (Innovative Solutions C... Compares
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Frequently Asked Questions
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