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Energy Innovation Program - Clean Fuels Call for Proposals New!

Program Category: Clean Energy
Program Sub-Category: Innovation
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Status: Closing Soon

Funder

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)

Deadline Details

Applicants must complete and submit their Expression of Interest via the application portal by 10am PT/1pm ET on April 8, 2025.

Funder Organization Type

  • Federal Government

The Energy Innovation Program (EIP) – Clean Fuels Call for Proposals (“the Call”) will target research and development, pilot, and demonstration proposals that support the development of sustainable, cost-effective technologies critical to Canada’s leadership in the global clean fuels transition. This Call will invest in the clean fuels value chain, supporting technologies that facilitate production, transport and storage.

For the purpose of this Call, a clean fuel is a liquid or gaseous fuel with a significantly lower lifecycle carbon intensity than unabated fossil fuels. Examples include advanced biofuels and low-carbon ammonia, synthetic fuels, and hydrogen. 

 

 

 

 

 

Eligible Community

Focus area 1: Clean Fuels Production 

Under focus area 1, eligible Canadian Recipients will be:

  1. Legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada including:

    • For profit organizations and not-for-profit organizations.

  2. Indigenous:

    • Indigenous communities or governments.

    • Tribal Councils or entities that fulfill a similar function (e.g., general councils).

    • National or regional Indigenous councils, or tribal organizations.

    • Indigenous (majority owned and controlled by Indigenous people) for-profit or not-for-profit organizations.

    • For the purposes of this Applicant Guide, the term “Indigenous” is understood to include Inuit, Métis, First Nation, Status Indian and non-Status Indian individuals, or any combination thereof.

 

Focus area 2: Clean Fuels Transport and Storage 

Under focus area 2, eligible Canadian Recipients will be:

  1. Legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada including:

    • For profit organizations and not-for-profit organizations.

    • Provincial and territorial governments and their departments and agencies where applicable.

  2. Indigenous:

    • Indigenous communities or governments.

    • Tribal Councils or entities that fulfill a similar function (e.g., general councils).

    • National or regional Indigenous councils, or tribal organizations.

    • Indigenous (majority-owned and controlled by Indigenous people) for-profit or not-for-profit organizations.

For both focus areas: 

  • For the purposes of this Applicant Guide, the term “Indigenous” is understood to include Inuit, Métis, First Nation individuals, or any combination thereof.

  • Note that academic institutions and testing centres can participate as project partners, but cannot be the applicant or recipient. Applicants developing technologies at academic institutions can apply if they are a university spin-off, as defined in Section 7 of the application guide.

 

Organization classification 

Focus area 1: Clean Fuels Production

  • In addition to being one of the eligible Canadian Recipients outlined in Section 2.1 above, all applicant organizations must be:

    • A developer of clean fuel production-related technologies. 

 

Focus area 2: Clean Fuels Transport and Storage

  • In addition to being one of the eligible Canadian Recipients outlined in Section 2.1 above, all applicant organizations must be either:

    • A developer of clean fuel transport and storage technologies; or

    • An owner or operator of clean fuels transport or storage assets. 

Required Community Contribution

Community contribution required (please see program website)

Specific Eligibility Requirements

 

The call for proposals is open to projects focused on the development and demonstration of innovative pre-commercial clean fuels-related technologies. Projects must start at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4-8 (see description of TRLs in section 12, Technology Readiness Levels of the application guide). Note that project types are linked to the technological readiness of your proposed project, which may be lower than the technological readiness of your broader technology.

 

Please see the applicant guide for a detailed overview of project scope and eligibility requirements.

Other Eligible Applicants

Indigenous-owned Businesses
Other
Indigenous Organizations
Non-governmental Organizations / Not-for-Profits

Project partners 

Partners are defined as organizations providing in-kind or financial contributions to the project.

Applicants are permitted to work with partners on their project that do not qualify as eligible applicants, such as federal labs. While project partners do not need to be confirmed at the Expression of Interest (EOI) phase, applicants can provide information if available.

Projects that are invited to submit Full Project Proposals (FPP) will be required to provide a letter of contribution for each partner identified. Note that the strength of the letters of contribution will be considered during the FPP review.

Type of Funding

  • Non-repayable Contribution

Range of Funding Available per Project

  • From $100 000 to $1 000 000
  • Over $1 000 000

Description of Funding

The call has two focus areas:

Focus area 1: Clean Fuels ProductionThis focus area aims to:

  • Advance innovative technologies to produce clean fuels and relevant biorefinery products.

  • Reduce the lifecycle carbon intensity of clean fuels.

  • Increase the availability of low-impact feedstocks for clean fuels production.

  • Improve and assess the logistics, economics, and scalability of clean fuel production processes. 

Focus area 2: Clean Fuels Transport and Storage

This focus area aims to:

  • Improve the safety and integrity of transport materials and storage methods to prevent leaks and contamination.

  • Develop more efficient transport and storage solutions, reducing energy losses, carbon footprint and costs.

  • Facilitate the integration of clean fuels into existing energy infrastructures.

  • Develop novel non-infrastructure solutions for safe and efficient transportation of low-volume clean fuels. 

     

Percentage of Project Funded

Varies by project type. See applicant guide, section 4.

Eligible Costs

Planning
Capital Costs
Equipment/Material Purchase
Staff Costs
Administration Fees
Research and Development

Eligible expenditures 

Eligible Expenditures for an approved project must be directly related to, and necessary for, the implementation and conduct of a project and will include:

  • Salaries and benefits for employees on the payroll of the Recipient for the actual time spent by the employees on the projectTraining and workshops

  • Professional, scientific, technical and contracting services

  • Travel expenditures, including meals and accommodation, based on National Joint Council Rates, adjusted to reflect costs in Northern and remote areas, where appropriate.

  • Capital expenditures such as the purchase, installation, testing and commissioning of qualifying equipment, materials and products, including diagnostic, testing tools and instruments, and original equipment manufacturer equipment warranty (including extended warranties where deemed appropriate to mitigate risk and lack of capacity)

  • Other expenses related to the project or activity including:

    • Laboratory and field supplies, and materials;

    • Printing services and translation;

    • Data collection services, including processing, analysis and management;

    • Facility costs for seminars, conference room rentals, etc. (excluding hospitality);

    • Construction Insurance;

    • Accreditation;

    • License fees and permits;

    • Honoraria;

    • Training; and

    • Field testing services

  • Overhead expenditures, provided they are directly related to the conduct of the project and can be attributed to it. Overhead expenditures can be included as Eligible Expenditures to a maximum of 15% of Eligible Expenditures. Overhead expenditures include:

    • Administrative and corporate support provided directly to the project by the Recipient's employee(s), valued on the same basis as professional staff time;

    • Routine laboratory and field equipment maintenance, based on the actual expenditure to a Recipient;

    • Office operating expenses directly related to the conduct of the project (e.g., faxes, telephone, photocopies, internet, SAT phones, and office equipment);

    • A predetermined overhead percentage (based on evidence provided by the Recipient of expected overhead expenditures at the time ofcontribution agreement negotiation), may be set and subsequently applied to each claim, in order to avoid unnecessary administrative burden to funding Recipients

    • GST, PST or HST, net of any tax rebate to which the Recipient is entitled.

    • Further details are described in section 8 of the applicant guide

See the application guide for details about project scope for both focus areas.

 

 

Ineligible Costs

Land Acquisition

Ineligible expendituresCosts ineligible for reimbursement from the Call (but permitted as part of the proponent’s contribution to the Total Project Cost) will include:

  • All costs incurred within the Total Project Cost period but outside the Eligible Expenditure Period are considered as Ineligible Expenditures.

  • Overhead expenses exceeding 15% of Eligible Expenditures may be included as Ineligible Expenditures and count towards the proponent’s portion of the

  • Total Project Cost provided that the sum of overhead expenses (Eligible plus Ineligible) does not exceed 15% of the Total Project Cost.

  • The reimbursable portion of Federal and Provincial Taxes.

  • In-kind costs. 

From time to time, the Call may determine that some of the proponent’s project costs will not be eligible for reimbursement but may be included towards the proponent’s contribution to the Total Project Cost. These costs will be considered Ineligible Expenditures and should be included in the Ineligible Expenditures section of the budget at the FPP phase. The Program will provide guidance to the proponent as required.

Reporting Requirements

Progress reports and final reports

Expected Timeframe for Funding Decision

The Call’s project selection process has two phases: Expression of Interest (EOI) phase, open to all eligible applicants Full Project Proposal (FPP) phase, open to invited applicants only. See section 6 of the application guide for more details.

If you are unsure whether your project qualifies for pilot or demonstration funding, please reach out to eipcleanfuels-piecombustiblespropres@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca, in advance of the submission deadline