Understanding the Build in Canada Innovation Program

About the program

The program helps innovators:

• land a first major reference sale
• sell their innovation, but keep the intellectual property
• get their innovation tested in a real-life setting
• gain feedback to help get products to market faster

The program pays up to $500,000 for non-military innovations and up to $1,000,000 for military innovations.

The BCIP targets innovations in 10 priority areas.

2 options for innovators to submit proposals

Innovators can submit their innovation to government 2 ways through the Build in Canada Innovation Program.

Call for proposals 007

Innovators can submit their proposals to the program when their innovation is at the right Technology Readiness Level (TRL).

Under call for proposals 007, innovations are evaluated on the merit of being innovative. Once pre-qualified, the program finds a testing partner. This call is open to submissions with no specific government challenge in mind.

Learn how to submit to the open call for proposals

The challenge call for proposals pilot

Under the challenge call for proposals pilot, innovators submit proposals to address specific challenges issued by federal departments.

Innovations must also be at the right TRL. In the challenge call for proposals pilot, submissions are evaluated on the merit of being able to address challenges, and on the merit of being innovative.

Learn how to submit to the challenge call for proposals pilot

The program boosts Canada’s business sector

The Build in Canada Innovation Program addresses market challenges in 3 ways, while assisting the Government of Canada fill innovation gaps.

It bridges the pre-commercial gap

Companies often have difficulty moving their innovative goods and services from the final stages of research and development into the market. The BCIP helps bridge this pre-commercial gap by providing innovators with a successful use of their pre-commercial innovations.

What stage is your innovation at? Consult the government's technology readiness levels to find out.

Companies can find support in earlier stages of research and development. Visit the National Research Council Canada's Industrial Research Assistance Program and Concierge Service. You can also consult Canada Revenue Agency's Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Incentive Program to learn more.

It provides a first reference sale

Canadian companies often struggle to find first buyers for their innovations. Through the BCIP, Canadian companies can sell their pre-qualified innovations to the federal government. The Government of Canada can also become the company's first reference sale.

It evaluates pre-commercial goods and services

After testing a company's innovation, federal departments provide feedback on the innovation's performance in an operational setting. This feedback helps suppliers be better prepared to enter the marketplace with their federal government-tested innovations.

It improves the government's operations

Federal departments gain access to innovative goods and services to improve their operations and services to Canadians. By bringing together companies and federal departments, the BCIP helps companies find a buyer, while departments get early access to state-of-the-art technologies they can use.

More information

• Contact the Build in Canada Innovation Program to learn more about selling or testing an innovation

The Build in Canada Innovation Program infographic