Innovative Solutions Canada is an initiative designed to stimulate technology research, development, and commercialization of Canadian innovations. The program's Challenge Stream and Testing Stream help startups and small/medium-sized businesses (SMEs) overcome technology testing and development hurdles so that they can produce globally-demanded products and services, while also improving government operations.
Challenge Stream
Through the Innovative Solutions Canada program's Challenge Stream, we identify real life challenges and look for you, Canadian small businesses and innovators, to develop novel solutions to these challenges! Are you up for the challenge?
Find out if you are eligible for the Challenge Stream
Testing Stream
Through the Innovative Solution Canada program's Testing Stream we encourage Canadian innovators to pitch their creative ideas to government Departments. We can buy and test your pre-commercial goods and services in a real-life setting and provide you with valuable feedback before you launch your innovation into the marketplace! Help us solve existing problems or problems we don't even realize we have!
Find out if you are eligible for the Testing Stream
What's new
Find out the latest news about the program and funding opportunities.
Program news
Annual reports
- Innovative Solutions Canada: Annual Report 2021-2022
- Innovative Solutions Canada: Annual Report 2020-2021
- Innovative Solutions Canada: Annual Report 2019-2020
- Innovative Solutions Canada: Annual Report 2018-2019
What we've heard
"I truly believe that you guys figured out the innovation secret sauce! The fact that you guys do a general call for proposal and then vet the companies through IRAP proving that they are innovative, it's taking that step away from me, I can assume without a doubt that it has been done. And when companies are prequalified the contracting process is fast – my best timing was 2 weeks!"
"We've grown a lot in the last ten years and a lot of this expansion has been enabled by innovative R&D programs like ISC. [..] Right now ISC is probably the only program set up in that way and the testing stream is a great way to get technologies in front of real users and get it evaluated. I think we need more funding put into it so that we can fund more projects in our country."
"ISC is a great program, there's a lot of innovative ideas and brilliant people out there. The challenge for us is how can we actually make sure that we're using the program to its fullest? So we are working really hard to demonstrate what the program's benefits are, and it's very clear, we invest in people and create jobs!"
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