Programs and initiatives

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) works with Canadians in all areas of the economy and in all parts of the country to improve conditions for investment, enhance Canada's innovation performance, increase Canada's share of global trade and build a fair, efficient and competitive marketplace. Find our programs and initiatives below.

Program or Initiative Description
Tourism Growth Program With $108 million in federal funding, the Tourism Growth Program will be delivered by Canada's regional development agencies over three years, starting in 2023–24. The program will support Indigenous and non-Indigenous  communities, small and medium-sized businesses and not-for-profit organizations in developing local, community-level tourism products and experiences to help more domestic and international visitors discover all that Canada has to offer.
2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs make important contributions to the Canadian economy, yet they continue to face systemic barriers in starting and growing their businesses. To help address these barriers and build a more inclusive economy, the Government of Canada is investing $25 million in Canada's first-ever 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program.
The 50 – 30 Challenge The 50 – 30 Challenge is an initiative between the Government of Canada, business, and diversity organizations. Together with project co-creators, the government is shaping a plan to improve access for women, racialized persons, people who identify as LGBTQ2, people living with disabilities, as well as First Nations, Inuit and Métis to positions of influence and leadership on corporate boards and in senior management.
Accelerated Growth Service The Accelerated Growth Service helps growth-oriented Canadian businesses to expand by helping them access the key government services they need to grow, such as financing, exporting, innovation and business advice.
Accessible Technology Program The Accessible Technology Program co-funds innovative projects led by the private sector, not-for-profit organizations and research institutes to develop new assistive and adaptive digital devices and technologies.
Biomanufacturing The Government of Canada is investing in growing Canada's biomanufacturing ecosystem and securing medical countermeasures to protect Canadians.
Black Entrepreneurship Program The Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) is an investment of up to $265 million, including $130 million from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) over four years (starting in 2020-21) that will deliver a national approach to provide Black Entrepreneurs with improved access to ecosystem supports at the national and regional levels, loan capital, and to improve and enhance the data on Black entrepreneurship.
Canada Digital Adoption Program The Canada Digital Adoption Program, an investment of $1.4 billion, will provide businesses with financing, tools and resources to adopt e-commerce platforms and implement digital transformation plans.
Canada Small Business Financing Program The Canada Small Business Financing Program makes it easier for small businesses to obtain loans from financial institutions because the government shares the risk with the lenders.
Canada's Digital Charter Canada's Digital Charter is the foundation of trust we need to build an innovative economy and a safe and inclusive society. The Charter's 10 principles will provide the framework for continued Canadian leadership in the digital and data-driven economy.
CanCode The CanCode program will invest $50 million over two years to support initiatives providing educational opportunities for coding and digital skills development to Canadian youth from kindergarten to grade 12.
Clean Growth Hub The Clean Growth Hub is a whole-of-government focal point for clean technology focused on supporting companies and projects, coordinating programs and tracking results.
Community Futures Program The Community Futures Program is a community-driven, economic development initiative designed to assist communities in Canada's rural areas to develop and implement strategies for dealing with a changing economic environment.
Computers for Schools Computers for Schools refurbishes donated computers and distributes them to schools, libraries, not-for-profit organizations Indigenous communities and eligible low income Canadians across Canada.
Computers for Schools Intern Program This program seeks to enhance the employability and marketability of youth through internships specifically targeted to develop expertise and skills needed to actively participate in the digital economy.
Connecting Canadians The Connecting Canadians program shares the costs of building broadband infrastructure that extends or enhances access to Internet of at least 5 megabits per second (Mbps) in areas of slower or no service.
Connect to Innovate The Connect to Innovate program committed $585 million to bring high-speed Internet to 975 rural and remote communities in Canada, including 190 Indigenous communities, by 2023.
Connecting Families The Connecting Families initiative will help connect up hundreds of thousands of Canadians to the Internet and will distribute up to 50,000 computers to eligible households.
Cyber Security Innovation Network The Cyber Security Innovation Network program will invest $80 million over four years to support the creation of a pan-Canadian network to support the growth of Canada's cyber security ecosystem through industry-academia collaboration. The network will seek to enhance research and development, increase commercialization, and further support the development of skilled cyber security talent across Canada.
CyberSecure Canada This program is a Federal cyber certification program that aims to raise the cyber security baseline among Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), increase consumer confidence in the digital economy, promote international standardization and better position SMEs to compete globally.
Digital Literacy Exchange This program aims to equip Canadians with the necessary skills to engage with computers, mobile devices and the Internet safely, securely and effectively.
Digital Skills for Youth Program Digital Skills for Youth connects underemployed recent post-secondary graduates with small businesses and not-for-profit organizations where they can gain meaningful work experience to help them transition to career-oriented employment.
Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy The Digital Research Infrastructure Strategy makes sure that Canadian researchers have the digital tools they need to support scientific excellence.
Digital Credentials ISED's Digital Credentials blog looks to provide updates on emerging technology, innovative solutions and new approaches to advancing mutual support for digital credentials across the country and beyond.
ElevateIP ElevateIP will help Business Accelerators and Incubators (BAIs) to provide the tools Canadian startups need to better protect, strategically manage and leverage their IP.
Get Connected The Get Connected portal provides links to programs and initiatives that aim to ensure Canadians have access to high-speed Internet services and have extensive wireless coverage, no matter where they live.
Global Hypergrowth Project

The Global Hypergrowth Project (GHP) is a new scale-up service that will support growth in jobs, exports, R&D and new IP creation. This project brings together the combined strength of its government partners to help tailor support to each participating company's specific needs, offering solutions that are as unique as the companies themselves.

Global Innovation Clusters A made-in-Canada model, the Global Innovation Clusters program is providing nearly $2 billion to incent large-scale collaboration among industry leaders, SMEs and post-secondary institutions to develop and scale high-potential technologies in Canada. The program supports five industry-led clusters in key sectors of Canadian advantage to build world-leading innovation ecosystems - the Digital Technology Cluster, the Protein Industries Cluster, the Advanced Manufacturing Cluster, the Scale AI Cluster, and the Ocean Cluster.
Indigenous Peoples and Intellectual Property The Indigenous Peoples and Intellectual Property web page hosts the latest information, tools and events related to IP and Indigenous knowledge and cultural expression.
Industrial Decarbonization Team The Industrial Decarbonization Team (IDT) facilitates and supports the development and financing of transformative projects in Canada's industrial sectors. The IDT aims to help Canada achieve its 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets, while building a more competitive, low-carbon economy for Canada.
Innovative Solutions Canada Innovative Solutions Canada is a new program with over $100 million dedicated to supporting the scale up and growth of Canada's innovators and entrepreneurs by having the federal government act as a first customer.
Intellectual Property Legal Clinics Program The IP Legal Clinics Program is a grant program intended to encourage the development of IP law clinics within law schools.
Intellectual Property Strategy The Government of Canada is investing $85.3 million over five years to help Canadian businesses, creators, entrepreneurs and innovators understand, protect and access intellectual property (IP) through a comprehensive IP Strategy.
More affordable telecom services Tools and resources to help you decide which mobile or Internet plan is right for your needs and budget.
National Digital and Data Consultations A national consultation on digital and data transformation in order to better understand how Canada can drive innovation, prepare Canadians for the future of work, and ensure they have trust and confidence in how their data is used.
Northern Ontario Development Program The Northern Ontario Development Program invests in projects that support community economic development, business growth and competitiveness and innovation.
Patent Collective Pilot Program The Patent Collective Pilot Program will help small to medium-sized enterprises better leverage intellectual property in their drive to grow to scale and compete in the innovative economy.
Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund provides up to $2 billion for infrastructure projects at post-secondary institutions to enhance and modernize research and commercialization facilities, as well as industry-relevant training facilities at colleges and polytechnic institutions in Canada.
Prime Minister Awards The Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence honour elementary and secondary school teachers for their remarkable achievements in education and for their commitment to preparing their students for a digital and innovation-based economy.
Policy direction to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) The Government of Canada has proposed a new policy direction to the CRTC to put in place new rules to improve competition and support consumers, leading to lower prices and better telecommunications services for Canadians.
Regional Economic Growth through Innovation Regional Economic Growth through Innovation programs foster the right environment to enable businesses to grow and entrepreneurs and innovators to start businesses, creating the ideal conditions for the development of strong, dynamic and inclusive regional economies throughout the country.
Reliable telecom services The Government of Canada is working with telecommunications companies and partners to improve the resiliency of Canada's telecom networks. Learn more about the services and projects under way to make Canadian telecom services more reliable.
Strategic Innovation Fund The Strategic Innovation Fund allocates repayable and non-repayable contributions to firms of all sizes across all of Canada's industrial and technology sectors.
Strategic Science Fund The Strategic Science Fund (SSF) will be the Government's key new tool to support third-party science and research organizations. Going forward, the selection of recipient organizations and corresponding level of support will be determined through the SSF's competitive allocation process, with advice from an independent expert panel and informed by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry's and Minister of Health's overall strategy.
Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative Through the Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative, the government is seeking to build a portfolio of large funds-of-funds and alternative models that strengthen and broaden the Canadian VC ecosystem, and increase the availability of late-stage VC over time.

Upskilling for Industry Initiative

By fostering partnerships between employers and training providers, the Upskilling for Industry Initiative (UII) seeks to develop and deliver demand-driven short cycle upskilling programs to meet the skills needs of employers from high-growth industries by providing access to a competitive workforce.
Universal Broadband Fund The Universal Broadband Fund supports broadband projects across the country and is a key tool in developing high-speed internet across Canada, particularly in rural and remote communities.
Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub The Government of Canada will provide either one eligible organization or a consortium of eligible organizations up to $8.62 million over three years to establish a Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub.