Global Cleantech Challenge

Deadline: 25-Apr-23

NGIF Industry Grants, in collaboration with the International Gas Union, has launched a $10MM Global Cleantech Challenge.

The Challenge is a funding call to energy startups from around the world with clean technology solutions to come to Canada to access grant funding, technology validation for product market fit, and future energy customers.

The Global Cleantech Challenge will allow NGIF Industry Grants to provide funding from its 14 energy company participants to support the development and demonstration of novel clean technologies from anywhere across the world. Each demonstration project undertaken in Canada is eligible to receive up to $1MM CAD, representing as much as 50% of a project’s qualifying expenses.

NGIF Industry Grants is accepting applications from global small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups with solutions that can create value and mitigate environmental impacts in Canada’s production, transmission, distribution, and end-use of natural gas.

Key Focus Areas

• The focus for this funding competition directed at gaseous energy production (upstream), transmission (midstream), distribution and end-use applications (downstream) is to advance leading clean technologies.
  • Responsibly Sourced Natural Gas
    • Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS)
    • Methane Mitigation
    • Energy Efficiency
    • Emissions Monitoring
    • Waste Heat Utilization
    • Water Management
  • Alternate Gases
    • Hydrogen
    • Renewable Natural Gas
  • Natural Gas Applications
    • Heat and Power Generation
    • Natural Gas Heat Pumps
    • Value Added Products
    • Fuel Switching
    • Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
    • Transportation

Funding Information

• The NGIF IG is offering up to $10.0 million (CAD) in grant funding available for this funding competition to support natural gas production (upstream sector), transmission (mid-stream sector), and distribution and end-use applications (downstream sector) in Canada. Eligible projects can apply for up to $1,000,000 (CAD) per project, representing 50% of the total project cost. Final approval of funding is subject to the discretion of NGIF IG and the availability of funds.

Project Location

• Approved projects must be demonstrated in Canada. Projects which are directed at upstream operations must be demonstrated at a site owned by one of the following NGIF IG industry participants:
  • Birchcliff Energy Limited
  • Canadian Natural Resources
  • Cutbank Dawson Gas Resources Limited (a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation)
  • Perpetual Energy Incorporated
  • PETRONAS Energy Canada Limited
  • Tidewater Midstream and Infrastructure Limited
  • Shell Canada Limited
  • Tourmaline Oil Corporation

Eligibility Criteria

• The competition is open to Canadian as well as international small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including technology development startups.
• Novel technologies that improves the environmental and economic performance for the gaseous energy industry.
• Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 or higher technologies. If achieving TRL 6 is imminent, late TRL 5 technologies will be considered.
• Canadian and international small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are non-subsidiary, and independent technology development firms that employ fewer than 500 employees.
• Canadian and international technology development startups that are non-subsidiary, independent technology development firms that employ fewer than 100 employees, generate less than CAD $25 million in annual revenues, and are focused on developing and scaling up pre-commercial technologies.

Trusted Partner Funding Leverage 

• NGIF IG has working relationships with other federal and provincial funding organizations across Canada. In some cases, there may be an opportunity for NGIF IG to share Applicants’ proposals with trusted partners and explore possibilities to leverage funding available from these organizations.  NGIF IG has “Trusted Partnership” with the following organizations:
  • Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
  • Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA)
  • Alberta Innovates (AI)
  • Province of British Columbia Innovative Clean Energy ICE Fund (ICE Fund)
  • Geoscience BC
  • Innovation Saskatchewan
  • Ontario Center of Innovation (OCI)

For more information, visit Global Cleantech Challenge.