Deadline Date: February 19, 2026
The governments of Canada and Germany support collaborative R&D projects between Canadian and German enterprises to drive innovation and commercialize new or improved products, services, and processes globally.
The focus areas, collaborative research and development between Canadian SMEs and German commercial enterprises, commercialization of innovative products, services, or processes, international market expansion, intellectual property planning, and multi-year R&D collaboration while maintaining operational continuity.
This funding program offers Canadian SMEs support for salaries, contractor fees, and international travel, with maximum rates of 80% for salary costs, 50% for contractor fees, and 75% for international travel costs for employees, and total funding capped at $700,000 CAD for up to 24 months. In Germany, the program is administered by VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH under the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.
Eligible applicants must form a consortium that includes at least one incorporated Canadian SME and one eligible German commercial enterprise. Additional eligible Canadian collaborators include National Research Council of Canada researchers, universities, research technology organizations, and not-for-profit organizations, while German research institutions may also participate. All consortium parties must be unrelated and agree on intellectual property rights and commercialization plans. Individuals or organizations involved must not be affiliated with entities on the Named Research Organization list.
Canadian SME applicants must be incorporated, profit-oriented companies with 500 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, have been in operation for at least 12 months, and employ a minimum of five full-time equivalent employees in Canada. They must focus on developing and commercializing innovative, technology-driven products, services, or processes, have a protectable technology with global commercial potential, and demonstrate both financial and operational capacity to conduct international multi-year R&D collaborations while maintaining regular operations. Preference may be given to SMEs with at least 15 full-time employees, prior international commercialization experience, and more than $500,000 CAD in annual sales revenue.
For more information, visit Government of Canada.
