Updated June 2026 · Verified against Innovation Asset Collective (IAC) — funded by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) guidelines
▲ Growing ✓ First-Timer Friendly Lump Sum Est. 2020
Program Federal Active

Patent Collective Program — Innovation Asset Collective (IAC)

Innovation Asset Collective (IAC) — funded by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)
Maximum Funding
Up to $20,000
Ongoing (rolling applications)
Visit Official Program →
Difficulty
Easy
Payment
Lump Sum
Trend
Growing
First-Timers
Friendly ✓
Co-Funding
100%
Patent Collective Program — Innovation Asset Collective (IAC) provides Up to $20,000 per round for Full Members; up to $10,000 per round for Associate Members (free tier); multiple rounds per year. Canada's first patent collective for cleantech SMEs. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
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Eligibility & Details

What this program funds and who can apply

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Program Description

Canada's first patent collective for cleantech SMEs. Full Members receive up to $50,000/year in grant funding plus $15,000 in IP credits, IP insurance covering freedom-to-operate disputes, and access to 200+ patents and expert IP strategy support. Associate Members (pre-revenue/early-stage) receive up to $15,000/year at no cost. Designed to help Canadian cleantech companies protect and leverage IP as they scale globally.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Canadian SME in the cleantech sector
  • Full Member: fewer than 500 employees at startup or scale-up stage
  • Associate Member: fewer than 25 employees AND less than $500,000 in annual revenue (early-stage startups)
  • Must operate in data-driven cleantech — clean energy, climate tech, sustainable agriculture, water, waste, or related sectors
  • Incorporated in Canada (federal or provincial)
Provinces
Industries
Business Stage
Startup Growth Expansion

Quick Assessment

Difficulty
Easy
Competition
Low
First-Timer
Friendly

Funding Details

Amount
Up to $20,000 per round for Full Members; up to $10,000 per round for Associate Members (free tier); multiple rounds per year
Type
Program
Level
Federal
Co-Funding
Up to 100% of eligible costs
Deadline
Ongoing (rolling applications)

Program Scorecard

Competition, effort, and approval at a glance

Competition
Low
Deadline
Ongoing
Approval
Moderate
Accessibility
--/5
Competition
--/5
Approval Rate
--%
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What's in this Playbook

Everything you need to win IAC

Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.

$19 covers this one program. $39/mo covers every program, plus the workspace that walks you through each application.

How to Win

Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like

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Insider Tip

Full Membership costs $15,000/year but delivers up to $50,000 in grants plus $15,000 in IP credits — a net positive of up to $50,000 annually before counting the value of IP insurance and patent portfolio access.

Premium See what trips up most applicants for this program — and how to avoid it.

Success Profile

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Evaluation Criteria

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Don’t lose this one to a preventable rejection
Common rejection pitfalls, what winners look like, and exactly what reviewers score on
Paid grant writers quote $2,000–$5,000 per program. Premium covers all 850+ for $39/mo.
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Application Playbook

Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses

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Application Steps

1 Determine tier Check if you qualify for free Associate (under 25 employees, under $500K revenue) or paid Full Membership (under 500 employees).

Required Documents 4

Membership application form (via ipcollective.ca)
Company profile and description of cleantech focus

Eligible Expenses 6

Ineligible Expenses 5

Intake Periods

Deadline Notes

Ineligible Organizations

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Applying for IAC? Our Grant Proposal Template ($19) mirrors the section structure Canadian reviewers actually score on. Or get all 4 templates in the Founder Pack ($59 · saves $27) →

Funding Stack Strategy

Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential

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Compatible Programs

IRAP (NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program) SR&ED Tax Credit Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC)
Combined Funding Potential See your total funding potential

Clawback Risk

Low Risk

Premium See which programs combine with this one — and how much more you could get.

How IAC Compares

Side-by-side with similar programs

Free
Program Amount Difficulty Payment Deadline
Patent Collective Program — Innovatio... Up to $20,000 Easy Lump Sum Ongoing (rolling...
NRC IRAP Clean Technology Program $100,000–$500,000 Hard Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) Ongoing
Strategic Response Fund (formerly Str... Minimum $10 million contribution Hard Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) Ongoing — continuous...
CanExport SMEs Up to $50,000 Moderate Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) Applications accepted...
Innovative Solutions Canada up to $150,000 Hard Milestone-Based Challenge-specific — new...

Related Programs

Other programs you might be eligible for

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Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about IAC

Free
Can I apply as a sole proprietor?
No — must be incorporated in Canada. Sole proprietors without incorporation cannot apply for any tier of the program.
What's the realistic grant amount for a startup?
Associate Members (pre-revenue/early-stage) get $15,000/year with no cost. Full Members get $15k–$50k/year plus $15k IP credits.
Do I need matching funds?
No matching required. The program provides direct grant funding with no cost to the business beyond the application effort.
Can I stack this with SR&ED?
Yes — IAC IP grants fund patent prosecution costs not covered by SR&ED, which is common for cleantech companies.
Why do applications get rejected?
Most rejections are for not being in cleantech, exceeding employee limits, or not being incorporated in Canada.

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