Innovation

The Government of Canada’s Innovation and Skills Plan focuses on people and addresses the changing nature of the economy to ensure it works for all Canadians, building Canada as a world-leading innovation economy to create growth.

Innovation Canada

From funding to expert advice to driving new collaborations, Innovation Canada's flagship programs and services are designed to help businesses innovate, create jobs and grow Canada's economy.

  • The Innovation Superclusters Initiative strengthens Canada's most promising clusters, where private sector, academic institutions, not-for-profits, and others come together to energize economies and create resilient, well-paying jobs.
  • Innovation Solutions Canada creates opportunities for innovators to solve government challenges with the financial backing needed to develop their good ideas into tangible solutions.
  • The Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) supports business innovation, making investments across the country, and in all economic sectors. SIF’s objective is to spur innovation for a better Canada by providing funding for large projects (over $10 million in requested contribution). The program has five streams, each with its own precise objective:

    • Stream 1: Encourage R&D that will accelerate technology transfer and commercialization of innovative products, processes and services.
    • Stream 2: Facilitate the growth and expansion of firms in Canada.
    • Stream 3: Attract and retain large scale investments to Canada.
    • Stream 4: Advance industrial research, development and technology demonstration through collaboration between the private sector, researchers and non-profit organizations.
    • Stream 5: Support large-scale national innovation ecosystems through high-impact collaborations between small, medium and large corporations, academic and research institutions, and not-for-profit organizations.

    In Budget 2021, the Government announced that $1.75 billion in support over seven years would be targeted toward aerospace in recognition of the longer-lasting impacts to the sector following COVID-19. The funding will prioritize projects that:

    • support growth and recovery by anchoring production mandates and jobs in Canada
    • support industrial transformation that will grow Canada's global leadership position in sustainable aviation
    • develop innovative technologies, adopt advanced manufacturing processes and disruptive technologies across the supply chain to improve competitiveness

  • The Innovation Canada Business Benefits Finder now brings it all together in one place. It's the place to go to get a tailored list of everything that government can do for your business.

National Research Council (NRC) – Aerospace

The NRC's Aerospace Research Centre supports this important industry with facilities, expertise and industry foresight that result in a constant stream of fresh ideas, new technologies, and the development and demonstration of products and processes that target the market challenges faced by the Canadian and global aeronautics and space sectors. NRC’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) is Canada’s leading innovation assistance program for small and medium-sized businesses.

Collaboration networks