Funding Opportunities

Accelerate Entrepreneur

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  • Funds student and postdoctoral entrepreneurs to further develop the research or technology at the core of their start-up business.

  • Helps students and postdoctoral fellows build their professional entrepreneurial skills, with the goal of commercializing their start-up’s technology, product, or service through funded internships.

  • Pays students and postdoctoral fellows to grow their start-ups and get to market faster.

Lab2Market

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  • 16-week program to help researchers validate their ideas with the purpose of finding business/commercial value.

  • Based on similar programs that have found success in other parts of the world, but with a Canadian twist.

Productivity and Innovation Voucher Program

  • Helps small and medium-sized companies access direct assistance to help make their business more productive and innovative.

  • Supports businesses to seek out expertise within post-secondary institutions to improve productivity, develop a new product, service, or process, and create growth

  • Provides vouchers of up to $15,000 for eligible businesses that have not previously been awarded a voucher or are applying with a new project & Vouchers of up to $25,000 for eligible businesses to build on work already completed through a Tier 1 Voucher.

Atlantic Innovation Fund

  • Help Atlantic Canadians develop and bring to market new products and services that lead to market success,.

  • Help grow strategic sectors or lead to the creation of research and commercialization partnerships.

Volta Pitch Competition

  • Opportunity for those in the Atlantic Canadian tech and innovation communities to practice their three-minute business pitch and receive feedback from peers and industry professionals.

  • Winning pitch will receive a $500 Visa gift card

Graduate to Opportunity

  • Helping to build a stronger workforce and retain young people in Nova Scotia with a salary incentive that makes it easier to hire recent graduates.

  • Employers receive 25% of the first year’s salary – 35% if the new graduate is a member of a designated diversity group – and 12.5% of the second year’s salary.

Futurpreneur

  • Eager to support aspiring business owners aged 18 – 39 years old who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents currently living in Canada

  • Offer collateral-free loans at better interest rates than most banks. Able to finance up to $20,000 per business. If you need more money, BDC may provide up to $40,000.

Community Business Development Corporation Youth Loan Program

  • Offer young entrepreneurs aged 18-34 access to the capital they need for business startup, expansion or modernization;

  • Create and maintain employment in Atlantic Canada.

WIL Digital Subsidy

  • ICTC’s WIL Digital is an innovative Work Integrated Learning program that helps employers grow their businesses by providing wage subsidies for hiring post-secondary students.

  • WIL Digital provides 75% of the student’s salary, up to $7,500