Ontario Brain Institute NERVE Program

Insider Tip

Two things decide this one. First, the video is not a formality — OBI states plainly that it is used to assess how well you communicate your idea and how passionate you are, and it gates entry to the pitch round. Record it early, keep it under a minute, be on camera, demo a prototype if you have one. Second, note the published rule versus the observed pattern: eligibility says Canada-based, and applicants outside the Greater Toronto Area may pitch virtually, but all five 2025 recipients were Ontario companies (Toronto, Waterloo, Hamilton) — a strong application from outside Ontario is eligible but will be breaking the pattern. OBI also states a preference for applicants who finished a post-graduate fellowship within the past five years, so lead with the research lineage of the technology.

Rejection Pitfalls 6

• The venture is a program or a service rather than a technology — explicitly ineligible
• The technology is not grounded in scientific research with a fundamental impact on understanding, diagnosing, improving or treating brain and brain-related disorders
• The applicant cannot commit to being a full-time entrepreneur for the 12-month program

Success Profile

A scientist-founder commercializing a technology that came out of their own research — device, therapeutic, AI tool or software — targeting neurological, neuropsychiatric or sensory disease, able to go full-time on the venture for a year, and comfortable pitching live to judges. OBI states a preference for applicants who completed a post-graduate fellowship within the past five years, and the 2025 cohort was drawn from university-linked ventures at pre-seed stage.

Evaluation Criteria

Two rounds. Round 1 is a scored online application in three parts: applicant information; written questions on the applicant's background, company and technology; and a mandatory 1-minute unlisted YouTube video used to assess how clearly the applicant communicates the idea and how committed they are to commercializing it. Round 2 is a pitch session — 5 minutes of pitch plus 5 minutes of Q&A before a panel of expert judges, scoring the technology and the commercial opportunity alongside the applicant's ability to communicate their idea and their business. Preference is given to applicants who completed a post-graduate fellowship within the past five years. Only one person may pitch per application.

Application Steps

Required Documents 4

Eligible Expenses 3

• Project costs directly tied to commercializing the neurotechnology, as set out in the approved project plan
• A partial founder stipend, subject to OBI approval and alignment with the project plan
• Device, therapeutic, AI or software/ICT development work toward the agreed milestones

Ineligible Expenses 3

• Costs for a program or a service rather than a technology — these are explicitly ineligible
• Any use of funds not reviewed and approved by OBI against the project plan
• Using the full award as personal salary — only a partial stipend is contemplated

Intake Periods

Annual, one intake a year. The 2026 cycle closed April 27, 2026 at 11:59PM EST, with pitch invitations May 8, the pitch session May 28, winners notified June 10 and orientation June 25 — OBI notes these dates are tentative and subject to change. Cohorts have run every year since 2017 (as Ontrepreneurs through 2021, as NERVE from 2022). No 2027 dates are published yet.

Deadline Notes

The 2026 intake closed April 27, 2026 at 11:59PM EST. OBI runs NERVE annually and publishes the full cycle on its application page: application deadline late April, pitch-session invitations early May, pitch session late May, winners notified mid-June, orientation late June. No 2027 dates are published yet — expect the call to open in the first quarter and plan to have a 1-minute pitch video ready before the deadline.

Open Application Portal →

Stacking partner data not yet available.

Clawback Risk

Low Risk

The award is non-dilutive and OBI takes no equity or IP, so there is no repayment or conversion mechanism. The practical exposure is forward-looking: funding is released in three tranches contingent on achieving the milestones in the signed agreement, so a missed milestone stops a later tranche rather than triggering repayment. Failing to attend mandatory OBI training is also a compliance risk.