Innovation Fund

Your simple solution or bold idea can help to solve vital problems, and our team is here to help you build, test and refine your idea. We fund Yukoners who are ready to start, grow or get to market.  

Whether you have a disruptive new solution, or an incremental adaptation of an existing solution, our Innovation Fund can provide funding and support to help you create or reimagine processes and practices, and design, develop or deploy your ideas on the path to commercialization. 

Funded by Government of Canada’s Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) and Government of Yukon Department of Economic Development.

Book a time to discuss your idea today!

 

Innovation is the process of transforming an idea into something real, thereby creating value or wealth in new ways.

Wondering if you're eligible?

Your project proposal must demonstrate the following criteria:

  • Individuals, teams and businesses that are based in the Yukon.
  • Decentralized teams may apply to a project tied to the Yukon, as long as one employee is present in the Territory.
  • Existing business or intent to move towards a for-profit business model that is self-sustaining.
  • Ideas, projects and prototypes must be innovative with the potential for commercialization. Our team is excited to hear your idea at whatever stage you are at. Book a time for a confidential chat, and together, we will help to determine if your idea or proposal demonstrates a technical challenge worth testing, an advancement that has never been done before, or a valuable modification to something that already exists. We will provide supportive advice for your project’s next steps!

*Note that the Innovation Fund is intended to offset hard costs for project materials to build and test your innovation on a reimbursement basis. Funding cannot cover costs for employee wages, utilities, rent, etc.

We’re here to help you make it real  

The introduction of a new product, service, process, technique, or way of doing business can help shape and reimagine the future, improve quality of life, create wealth, diversify and drive the economy in the North and beyond.          

Whether revolutionary or evolutionary, your innovation can involve technology, processes, societal adoption/accessibility and/or business models. 

Our Innovation Fund is geared toward supporting Yukoners who need financial support to advance the technological readiness of their ideas, effect the change necessary to create space and capacity within the local economy or connect with industry to support market deployment.   

Whether you are developing the basic principles or preparing for scaled deployment of your idea, we can help. 

Whether you need $1,000 or $50,000 to get your project started, our project officers are open to discussing your budget and the feasibility of your project. The initial assessment process will dive into: 

The potential of your idea to contribute to economic development and/or economic diversification

Including but not limited to: 

  • Job creation  
  • Diversification  
  • Import displacement 
  • Export creation  
  • Extra territorial direct investment 

Expertise and capacity
  • Personal and organisational 
  • In house vs external 
  • Time resource availability vs project timeline 
Project cost
  • Scale  
  • Budget cost effectiveness  
Project benefits
  • Benefits to society, environment, and community 
Path to growth

Including but not limited to market potential 

FAQS

What's the difference between innovation and niche? 

Do have an idea that has potential to become a business? A valuable step is to explore the relationship between niche and innovation, and where your idea fits in.

Finding your niche is essential to becoming a successful business. It’s about meeting the underserved needs of a specific audience—think of products designed for healthy eating, the outdoor community, and conscious consumers.

Innovation is related to niche—and goes a step further. YukonU I&E funds innovations that can be simple yet powerful upgrades to existing products, models, and systems. Innovation is all about finding creative and effective solutions for the benefit of your community.

We've seen incredible examples of innovations in the Yukon: ColdAcre is innovating the way food is produced year-round, while Neighbourly North is innovating accommodations in the North.

Still unsure if your idea is innovative? Book a time to explore your idea with an innovation officer.

Success stories

SUPstick

SUPstick TM

Brennan Innovations 
Whitehorse, Yukon

Since 2016, Joel Brennan worked with our team to design and iterate the prototype, securing a patent along the way. Our wrap-around services and funding for mass manufacturing accelerated Joel’s progress toward commercialization.

Aurum skincare

Aurum Skincare

BioBoreal Labs
Dawson, Yukon

Winning the 2017 Yukon Innovation Prize lead Elise McCormick and Joanne Sherrard to launch their Aurum Skincare line.

“Thanks to the financial support made available through I&E, we were able to get to market much sooner than we had originally anticipated. The ongoing access I&E provides to startup funding, coaching and industry specialists is key to making our entrepreneurial dreams a reality."

Yukon Soaps

Yukon Soaps Company

Mayo, Yukon

The Mayo-based personal care products company is proudly Indigenous owned and operated. Founder Joella Hogan, a citizen of the First Nation of Na Cho Nyak Dun, is committed to developing her business in her community and providing employment opportunities there.

"Thanks to I&E, I was able to grow my business and provide meaningful skills and empowerment to young women in my rural community."