Energy Innovation Program

Description

The Energy Innovation Program (EIP) advances clean energy technologies that will help Canada maintain a competitive, reliable, and affordable energy system while transitioning to a low-carbon economy. 

It supports energy research, development & demonstration (RD&D) projects and other science-related activities by investing in the work of federal labs, as well as a wide range of Canadian businesses, utilities, Indigenous communities, and other organizations that are working to develop novel and innovative clean energy technologies, scale up and integrate existing technologies, and support the clean energy ecosystem by sharing information and knowledge.

Managed by the Office of Energy Research and Development (OERD), calls for proposals under the EIP are shaped by regional, sector, and industry considerations as well as technical, market, and policy barriers and opportunities to advance clean energy innovation.

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) Call for Proposals - [open for applications]:

To position Canada as a leader in CCUS solutions, this Call for proposals supports proponents undertaking the complex, resource‑intensive engineering and project definition activities required to complete FEED studies for CCUS projects.

Call objectives

This Call will support FEED studies for advanced CCUS projects in Canada, with the aim of addressing the following objectives:

• Facilitate the advancement of CCUS capital projects from late-stage demonstration to final investment decisions
• Advance knowledge sharing on cost-effective CCUS capital project development, helping accelerate the deployment of CCUS projects across Canada

How to apply

This Call uses a continuous intake model, where applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until all available program funding has been allocated. There is currently no fixed date by which the call will close to applications.

The Call’s project selection process has two phases: 

• Expression of Interest (EOI) phase, open to all eligible applicants
• Full Project Proposal (FPP) phase, open to invited applicants only

Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the time at which submissions are received may impact the order of priority for project review and selection.

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Innovation Ecosystem Enablers – Call for proposals - [open for applications]:

Advancing energy innovation requires more than breakthrough technologies — it requires a strong and robust innovation ecosystem. Bringing new energy solutions from development to deployment relies on a set of foundational enabling conditions:

• shared infrastructure that gives innovators access to the spaces and tools they need
• intellectual and technical capital that sustains a skilled, capable workforce
• market validation that builds confidence in emerging technologies
• generation of knowledge and evidence that informs sound policy, regulatory, and market-shaping decisions

When any of these elements is absent or underdeveloped, the innovation pipeline can stall — regardless of the quality of the technologies within it. This call for proposals (CFP) aims to support these important key enabler projects across the energy innovation system to drive clean energy solutions for Canada.

Objectives

This CFP will support projects that deliver broad-based ecosystem benefits across Canada's energy innovation landscape, with the aim of addressing the following objectives:

• Strengthen Canada's capacity to develop and commercialize innovative energy solutions by funding enabling activities across multiple focus areas, each addressing a specific gap in Canada's energy innovation ecosystem.
• Accelerate the transition of energy innovations from development to deployment by addressing critical gaps in shared infrastructure, intellectual and technical capacity, market confidence, and/or policy and regulatory framework.

Focus areas

The CFP will consist of multiple focus areas. Each focus area will accept applications on a rolling basis. Focus areas will target specific categories of ecosystem enabling projects, aligned with evolving program priorities and sector needs.

Process and technology testing facilities

This focus area will fund projects that address the following objectives:

• Support broadly accessible testing facilities that respond to clear, unmet industry demands, protect client data and intellectual property (IP), and avoid duplication where adequate capacity already exists.
• Strengthen Canada’s testing, validation, and workforce capacity to enable technology demonstration and validation, reduce reliance on foreign facilities, and reinforce Canadian value chains.

How to apply

Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until all available program funding has been allocated. There is currently no fixed date by which the CFP will close to applications. To apply, applicants must complete and submit their Expressions of Interest (EOI) via the application portal.

The CFP’s project selection process has two phases:

• Expression of interest (EOI) phase, open to all eligible applicants
• Full project proposal (FPP) phase, open to invited applicants only

While there is currently no fixed deadline for applications, with submissions reviewed on a rolling basis, it should be noted that the time at which submissions are received may impact the order of priority for project review and selection.