CanExport Innovation
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Who actually receives this funding
131 businesses received this funding in 2025 — 669 awards since 2019. Typical award: $11.8K. Half of all awards fall between $6.1K and $19.8K. The advertised maximum is $37.5K — most awards land closer to $11.8K. 89% of recipients are for-profit businesses. Top sectors among classified recipients: Custom computer programming, R&D in natural sciences, R&D services. Top provinces: Ontario 41% · British Columbia 23% · Quebec 16%. Covers: CanExport Innovation contributions — direct-to-recipient R&D export grants; recipients are for-profit businesses and some non-profits. Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure data · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · Data through October 2026.
The typical CanExport Innovation award is $11.8K — the median of 669 awards since 2019, even though the program advertises up to $37.5K. In 2025, 131 businesses were funded; 89% were for-profit companies.
Named recipients
Recent recipients of CanExport Innovation include Skaha Labs (Naramata, BC, 2025), ReLease (Mississauga, ON, 2025) and CarbonSuite Inc. (North York, ON, 2025).
- 2025Skaha Labs
- 2025ReLease
- 2025CarbonSuite Inc.
- 2025Aben Hub
- 2025Material Futures
- 2025Salyx Medical
- 2025Inventu Research
- 2025Interview Box
- 2025Nova Graphene
- 2025Kognitiv Spark Inc.
Show 30 more recipients
- 2025BioNorth Solutions
- 2025BioBox Analytics Inc.
- 2025Bio-Stream Diagnostics Inc.
- 2025Quaternion Aerospace Inc
- 2025Voiltai
- 2025Cadence
- 2025Compusult Limited
- 2025Clirio
- 2025Orange Neurosciences
- 2025GetInSync
- 2025Safi
- 2025SolarSteam
- 2025Ivano Laboratory
- 2025My Normative
- 2025Viridis
- 2025SmartPixel
- 2025Apricell Biotechnology Inc.
- 2025ABAzyne Bioscience
- 20253DBIOFIBR Inc.
- 2025InDro Robotics
- 2025FeedFlo
- 2025CEMWorks Inc.
- 2025Permalution
- 2025LightX Innovations inc.
- 2025OVA
- 2025itracks
- 2025Électronique Organique Brilliant Matters Inc. Brilliant Matters Organic Electronics Inc.
- 2025qualiTEAS Inc.
- 2025Sexualis
- 2025NuLeaf Farms
Source: Government of Canada proactive disclosure
What CanExport Innovation winners won next
Among the 47 CanExport Innovation winners who went on to win a different program, 24 (51%) won Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) next, typically about 2 years later. That is about 7.3x its rate across all the funding sequences in this data.
Other programs the same group won next
- CanExport SMEs Between intakes18 (38%), about 2 years later
- CanExport SMEs is between intakes and is not taking applications right now. Those wins happened during an earlier intake.
Of 54 winners of this program who later won something else, 7 won a program excluded from this view (Canada Summer Jobs). Shares here are out of the remaining 47.
Counts winners of this program who later won a different program, using public government recipient disclosure. It describes businesses that went on to win again, not every past winner: recipients who never won a second program are not a path, and federal disclosure only lists awards above $25,000, so smaller first awards are invisible here. Timing is recorded by year only. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Helps Canadian innovators (early-stage R&D collaborations) explore international partnerships by funding travel and meeting costs to secure foreign partnerships for technology commercialization.
Eligibility Requirements
- Canadian SME or Canadian researcher/research organization pursuing international R&D partnerships
- Has a working prototype or technology at TRL 4 or above that applicant owns or co-owns
- Targeting a specific foreign partner or collaboration opportunity for technology commercialization
- Not an accelerator, incubator, charity, not-for-profit, or government department
- Project activities involve travel and meetings to secure an international R&D or commercialization partnership
- Technology is in an eligible sector (innovation, technology, engineering, or clean technology)
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $37.5K/projectUp to $37,500 per project (75% of a $50,000 maximum budget; up to $100,000 per organization within any 12-month period)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Federal
- Co-Funding
- Up to 75% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- The 2026 intake window (opened 12 PM EST September 1, 2026, open for 24 hours) has closed; no next intake date has been announced.
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
Accessible — straightforward requirements
Moderate competition — prepare a strong application
Moderate — standard requirements
How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipCanExport Innovation's biggest advantage over CanExport SMEs is the 75% cost-share (vs.
Rejection Pitfalls 13
- No written proof of foreign partner interest (letter/email required confirming willingness to meet)
Success Profile
Evaluation Criteria
Everything you need to win CanExport Innovation
Not a marketing summary. The actual checklist, intel, and stack strategy reviewers look for.
- 13 rejection pitfalls reviewers flag — so you catch them first
- 10-document checklist with what each reviewer is actually checking
- Your Application Game Plan — the print-ready PDF the preview below describes
- 7-step application timeline with prep hours per step
- Insider tip from program officers on what separates winners
- 7-program stacking strategy to combine with compatible funding
- Success profile + evaluation criteria — exactly what reviewers score on
Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 10
Eligible Expenses 10
Ineligible Expenses 6
Intake Periods
Deadline Notes
Ineligible Organizations
- 6 more application steps
- 8 more required documents
- 10 eligible expenses
- 6 ineligible expenses
- Intake periods
- Deadline notes
- Ineligible organizations
Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskHow CanExport Innovation Compares
Side-by-side with similar programs
| Program | Amount | Difficulty | Payment | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CanExport Innovation | Up to $37,500 | Moderate | Reimbursement | The 2026 intake window... |
| CanExport SMEs | Up to $50,000 | Moderate | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Between intakes — the... |
| Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) | Varies (in-kind support) | Moderate | In Kind | Ongoing |
| Strategic Response Fund (formerly Str... | Minimum $10 million contribution | Hard | Mixed (Advance + Reimb.) | Ongoing — continuous... |
| Innovative Solutions Canada | up to $150,000 | Hard | Milestone-Based | Challenge-specific — new... |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions founders most often ask about CanExport Innovation