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NRC Energy Innovation Program (EIP) – New Cleantech Development Grant

The National Research Council’s (NRC) Energy Innovation Program is a federal government grant program created to support new clean energy technologies that will help significantly mitigate emissions. This initiative is a part of Canada’s effort to meet its targets for greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) being cut by 40-45% below 2005 levels by 2030. This program funds research, development and demonstration projects, and other related scientific activities.

The Energy Innovation Program (EIP) is accepting applications until September 22, 2021.

EIP is managed by the Office of Energy Research and Development (OERD) and has a budget of $24M towards non-repayable funding contributions. The funding will be used to cover a portion of eligible expenses for approved projects.

Program Snapshot: NRC Energy Innovation Program

Funding Amount: 

  • Provides non-repayable grants covering up to 50% of eligible project costs to a maximum of $7 million.
  • Minimum program contribution is $3 million.

Eligible Applicants: 

  • All industrial sectors are eligible, such as electric power generation, oil and gas (oil sands), cement, iron and steel, chemicals including petrochemicals, refining, hydrogen production etc.
  • If constructed, the carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) project would capture at least 10 kilotons (kt) of CO2 per year. Priority will be given to the projects that demonstrate the potential to capture 50+ kt of CO2 per year.

Eligible Projects:  

Once completed, the FEED (Front End Engineering Design) study should be detailed enough for construction, otherwise known as “shovel-ready”:

  • FEED studies for CCUS applied to existing facilities, new industrial facilities, and Direct Air Capture (DAC) facilities.
  • FEED studies that expand the knowledge on how to engineer commercial scale projects.
  • Projects that incorporate novel technologies or approaches for capture, transportation, storage or use of CO2.
  • FEED study should include all components of the CCUS value chain:
    • Capturing the CO2 from an industrial facility or DAC at a rate of at least 10 kt per year;
    • The plan for transporting the captured CO2, if relevant; and
    • Details on how the CO2 will either be permanently sequestered or used to make products.

Timeline: 

The deadline to submit an application for Energy Innovation Program (EIP) funding is September 22, 2021. Those chosen to move forward will be requires submitting their Full Project Proposal (FPP) by January 2022 (Estimate). Successful candidates will receive their contribution agreements in Spring 2022 (Estimate).

Find out how your business can utilize a partnership with a Canadian University/College to take advantage of their resources and support for Research & Development projects with the Collaborative Research Project Guide. Created by Mentor Works and available for free, readers will learn about government funding programs that help fund collaborative research projects.

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2 Comments

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