Integrated Marketplace: Early-Stage Demonstration Call
The Early-Stage Demonstration Call supports B.C.-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to pilot and validate innovative technologies under real-world conditions. By funding demonstration projects with early adopters, this call helps companies prove performance, attract customers and investors, and accelerate commercialization.
Projects funded through this call are expected to deliver measurable outcomes, such as increased productivity, improved health and safety, and reduced environmental impact, while strengthening the province’s innovation economy.
Delivered through Innovate BC’s Integrated Marketplace (IM) platform, this call connects innovators with end users across strategic sectors, enabling collaboration, de-risking technology adoption, and driving tangible benefits for British Columbia’s industries and communities.
Call Information
This call aims to bridge the gap between prototype and market adoption by helping innovators validate their technologies in operational environments. Through targeted pilot funding, it supports solutions that advance provincial priorities such as decarbonization, operational efficiency, and health and safety.
To qualify for this call, applicants must demonstrate that both their organization and project meet the following baseline criteria:
Applicant Eligibility
- Be a B.C.-based small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), legally incorporated and in good standing in Canada.
- Have the capacity - financial, technical, and managerial - to complete the proposed pilot project.
- Be able to enter into a standard contribution agreement with Innovate BC.
Project Eligibility
- Pilot or demonstrate an innovative technology at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 or higher.
- Aim to advance at least one TRL level through real-world validation.
- Involve at least one early adopter, end user, or pilot partner based in B.C.
- Deliver measurable outcomes related to performance validation, customer adoption, or market readiness.
- Align with one or more program themes listed below.
Program Themes
Projects must align with at least one of the following strategic focus areas:
| Theme | Focus Summary |
| Health Systems Innovation | Anchored by the Provincial Health Services Authority; supports technologies that improve patient care, operations, or system efficiency. |
| Aviation + Mobility | Enhances airport operations, passenger experience, or sustainability in aviation and transportation sectors. |
| Marine + Port Operations | Strengthens environmental monitoring, vessel optimization, and coastal resilience through marine or port innovations. |
| Forestry + Emergency Management | Advances wildfire, flood, and forestry digitization solutions using automation, AI, and digital twin approaches. |
| Mining + Critical Minerals | Designed to accelerate the development, validation and deployment of cutting-edge technologies in the mining and critical minerals sectors. This theme focuses on innovations in productivity, renewable energy integration, traceability, and mineral processing to enhance sustainability, regulatory compliance, and supply chain efficiency. |
| Defence + Dual-Use Technologies | Supports province-wide projects that advance the validation and deployment of technologies designed for secure, high-reliability, or mission-critical environments. Projects may address applications in border and coastal security, Arctic and remote operations, disaster response, cybersecurity, simulation and training, or environmental monitoring, contributing to B.C.'s economic and operational resilience through dual-use innovation. |
Funding Support
- Up to 40% of eligible project costs, to a maximum of $500,000.
- Delivered through a cost-shared model that leverages industry and partner investment.
Matching Contributions
- Applicants and partners must contribute the remaining balance of project costs.
- Contributions may include a combination of cash and in-kind support.
- At least 25% of total project costs must come from non-government sources (e.g., industry partners, investors, customers).
- A detailed project budget outlining all matching sources must be included in the application.
Eligible Expenses
- Labour and contractor fees directly related to pilot implementation.
- Materials, equipment use, and testing services.
- Data collection, analysis, and performance validation activities.
- Travel necessary for pilot execution.
- Overhead and administrative costs
(Refer to Call Guidelines for full list.)
Ineligible Expenses
- Routine operational expenses or general overhead.
- Debt servicing or financing costs.
- Costs incurred prior to contract execution.
- Activities unrelated to the approved pilot project.
(Refer to Call Guidelines for full list.)
Disbursement of Funds
- Funding is released based on approved milestones.
- Each disbursement follows the review and acceptance of progress reports verifying deliverables and expenditures.
- Interim and final payments are tied to confirmed project results and compliance with reporting requirements.
- Application Intake: open until December 21, 2025, at 11:59pm PST
- Review + Selection: January 2026
- Notifications: January 2026
- Contracting + Onboarding: January & February 2026
- All contribution agreements must be finalized and signed by February 28, 2026.
- Estimated Project Start: February 2026
- Project Completion Target: August 2027
- Review Call Checklist and Call Guidelines to confirm eligibility and understand requirements.
- Prepare application materials, including company details, project description, partner information, milestones, and budget.
- Submit online application through Innovate BC’s SurveyMonkey Apply portal during the intake period.
- Applications are reviewed by a panel. Successful applicants will be invited to finalize a contribution agreement.
