DIGITAL Technology Leadership Program (Cycle 6): Starting at $7M for Tech Solutions

DIGITAL (formerly known as the Digital Supercluster) is co-investing $65 million in funding from the federal Global Innovation Clusters program alongside industry resources to add more than $200 million of new investment into the creation of Canadian innovative digital technology solutions.

In addition to the currently open DIGITAL Horizon AI’s Technology Commercialization Program which offers up to 35% of eligible costs with a minimum of $1 million in funding to help identify artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, DIGITAL has another program available focusing specifically on technology solutions for the health care and natural resources sectors.

The DIGITAL Technology Leadership Program (Cycle 6) offers up to 35% of total eligible costs with a minimum of $7 million in funding for projects that focus on developing and commercializing novel technology solutions to address well-defined problems in Canada’s healthcare and natural resources sectors.

About the DIGITAL Technology Leadership Program (Cycle 6)

The DIGITAL Technology Leadership Program (Cycle 6)has committed to co-investing in 10-15 ambitious research and development (R&D) projects that address challenges facing Canada’s health and natural resources sectors.

To compete globally, eligible Canadian companies will create new technology solutions and services and scale up by seizing new commercial opportunities and gaining market adoption within Canada and in international markets.

Areas of Interest for this call are:

• Health:
• Better access to healthcare;
• Improved outcomes; and
• More sustainable healthcare systems.
• Natural Resources:
• Sustainable low-impact mining;
• Regenerative agriculture supply chains; and
• Resilient forestry.

Funding Amount

• Up to 35% of total eligible costs to a minimum of $7M:
• Minimum Project Size: $20M; and
• There is no maximum project size.

Eligible Members

• DIGITAL provides co-investment only to Member organizations (“Eligible Members”) that are:
• For-profit organizations;
• Not-for-profit organizations whose 50% of funding and/or revenue is from private-sector or industry organizations;
• Non-federal Crown corporations whose funding is derived from commercial activities; and
• Indigenous organizations.
• Other not-for-profit organizations, governments, post-secondary and research institutions, DIGITAL Associates, and non-Canadian organizations can participate in projects but cannot receive direct co-investment

Eligible Consortia

Eligible Members must come together to form a consortium and:

• Must be led by an industry organization;
• Must consist of at least three organizations;
• Can include organizations located outside of Canada;
• Must consist of two for-profit industry organizations, at least one must be a Canadian SME;
• Must consist of at least one research or post-secondary academic institution;
• Must consist of at least one organization representing a potential customer of the new technology solution, can be one of the for-profit industry partners; and
• All participating organizations must be Members or Associates at the time of application submission. For more information and to join, visit here.

Eligible Projects

• Aim to develop and commercialize novel technology solutions that address well-defined problems in the Areas of Interest described above;
• Have a committed consortium that demonstrates high potential for scaling the growth of Canadian companies (including SMEs); and
• Drive the creation of new intellectual property that is owned by Canadian entities that have substantial operations in Canada.   

Eligible Costs

• Portion of base wages or salaries and benefits;
• Equipment costs including purchase, rental, operation, and maintenance;
• Materials and supplies;
• Incremental room or facility rentals;
• Conferences and related telecommunication expenses;
• Travel costs;
• Capital expenditures; and
• Other related costs at the program’s discretion

Timeline

• Funds are limited and it is a competitive process. Applications will be reviewed and evaluated on a continuous-intake basis; and
• Projects are expected to take several years to complete. All projects must be completed by December 31, 2027.

Canadian Government Funding for Research and Development

Heavily supported by Canadian government funding programs, research and development (R&D) projects can help businesses achieve competitive advantages over their international and domestic competitors, promote economic growth, and fuel innovation.

Research and development funding is not only available to large companies with substantial R&D budgets. Funding options are also available to smaller companies seeking to gain an advantage over the market leader.

To learn more about how collaborating on research opportunities can help businesses reach their goals, download our free Collaborative Research Project Guide to discover how your business could reach its full project potential with external partnership support.