RESOURCES · WESTERN CANADA

FUNDING AND TECH PROGRAMS, PROVINCE BY PROVINCE.

There is real government money and expertise for businesses in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba that want to build a site, adopt software or train a team — most owners never hear about it. This is a plain-English map with the administering body named and the official page linked. No amounts, no deadlines: those live on the official pages and change.

Last reviewed September 24, 2026. Confirm current terms on the official page before counting on anything.

FEDERAL — APPLIES ACROSS WESTERN CANADA

Programs a business in any of the four provinces can use. Start with the Benefits Finder; it lists what you are eligible for in about two minutes.

INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA

Business Benefits Finder

Answer a few questions and the Government of Canada returns a tailored list of federal and provincial programs you may qualify for — funding, tax credits, wage subsidies and advisory services. The fastest way to see everything at once.

Best for: Any Canadian business, any size.

Official page ↗

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA

NRC IRAP — Industrial Research Assistance Program

Pairs a small or medium business with an Industrial Technology Advisor and can contribute to the cost of developing or adopting new technology, including software and AI. The advisory relationship is often worth as much as the funding.

Best for: Canadian small and medium businesses pursuing a technology-driven project.

Official page ↗

CANADA REVENUE AGENCY

SR&ED Tax Incentive

Scientific Research and Experimental Development — Canada's largest R&D incentive. Custom software or AI work done to resolve a genuine technical uncertainty can qualify, with part of the eligible cost returned as a tax credit.

Best for: Businesses doing eligible R&D; the refundable credit is aimed at Canadian-controlled private corporations.

Official page ↗

MITACS (NATIONAL NOT-FOR-PROFIT)

Mitacs Accelerate

Places university researchers — including AI and data-science graduate students — inside a company to work on a real problem, with the cost shared between the business and Mitacs.

Best for: Businesses that can host a research project with a post-secondary partner.

Official page ↗

SCALE AI (CANADA'S AI SUPERCLUSTER)

Scale AI — Global Innovation Cluster

Co-invests in projects that build or embed AI into supply chains and operations, usually as a partnership between a company and a technology provider.

Best for: Companies running a real AI adoption or supply-chain project.

Official page ↗

INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA

Innovative Solutions Canada

Federal departments post real problems and pay Canadian small businesses to develop a solution; the business keeps the intellectual property. Challenges open and close, so check what is live.

Best for: Canadian-incorporated small businesses with most staff and leadership in Canada.

Official page ↗

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BANK OF CANADA

BDC — Advisory Services and Financing

Advisory services and financing for planning, funding and rolling out a technology or AI investment — the piece of a project a grant does not cover.

Best for: Canadian businesses financing or de-risking a digital investment.

Official page ↗

ALBERTA

The home province. Prairie businesses also have PrairiesCan's programs below.

PRAIRIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA (PRAIRIESCAN)

Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative

PrairiesCan's AI program, cost-sharing projects that commercialize or adopt AI in a Prairie business's operations. Applies in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Best for: Incorporated businesses in Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba adopting or commercializing AI.

Official page ↗

PRAIRIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA (PRAIRIESCAN)

Business Scale-up and Productivity

Repayable funding for high-growth Prairie companies scaling up or adopting technology to lift productivity. Larger-ticket than most grants; built for expansion projects rather than first experiments.

Best for: Incorporated, high-growth businesses in Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba.

Official page ↗

ALBERTA INNOVATES (PROVINCIAL AGENCY)

Alberta Innovates — Voucher for Innovation and Productivity

Cost-shared contributions that let an Alberta business bring in post-secondary or service-provider expertise on an applied technology project, from software implementation to a machine-learning model.

Best for: Alberta small and medium businesses with an applied technology project.

Official page ↗

GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA

Canada-Alberta Productivity Grant

Reimburses part of the cost of training existing or newly hired employees, which is one of the cleanest ways to fund AI and software upskilling for a team. It replaced the Canada-Alberta Job Grant.

Best for: Alberta employers investing in eligible training.

Official page ↗

AMII (ONE OF CANADA'S THREE NATIONAL AI INSTITUTES, EDMONTON)

Amii — Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute

AI strategy, corporate training, talent programs and a startup accelerator. Expertise rather than a cheque, and often the smartest first stop for an Alberta business deciding whether AI belongs in its operations.

Best for: Alberta businesses and startups that want practical help adopting AI.

Official page ↗

BRITISH COLUMBIA

BC has its own federal development agency, PacifiCan, and a provincial innovation agency, Innovate BC.

PACIFIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA (PACIFICAN)

Business Scale-up and Productivity — PacifiCan

PacifiCan's version of the Prairie program: repayable funding for BC companies adopting technology, scaling up and lifting productivity.

Best for: Incorporated, growth-oriented businesses in British Columbia.

Official page ↗

INNOVATE BC (PROVINCIAL CROWN AGENCY)

Innovate BC programs

BC's innovation agency runs funding and support programs for technology companies and for businesses adopting technology, including R&D funding streams and venture acceleration. The current program list is on its site.

Best for: BC technology companies and businesses with an innovation project.

Official page ↗

GOVERNMENT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (DELIVERED THROUGH WORKBC)

B.C. Employer Training Grant

Cost-shared funding for employers to train current or new employees, including technology and software skills, so a team can actually use what it adopts.

Best for: BC employers with eligible training for their workforce.

Official page ↗

SMALL BUSINESS BC (NOT-FOR-PROFIT)

Small Business BC

Advisory services, seminars and a plain-language guide to the provincial and federal programs a BC small business can use. A good first call before applying anywhere.

Best for: BC small businesses and founders.

Official page ↗

SASKATCHEWAN

Saskatchewan pairs the PrairiesCan programs above with Innovation Saskatchewan's provincial incentives.

INNOVATION SASKATCHEWAN (PROVINCIAL AGENCY)

Saskatchewan Technology Start-up Incentive

A provincial tax credit for investors who put money into eligible early-stage Saskatchewan technology companies — a tool for a start-up raising a round rather than a grant to the company itself.

Best for: Eligible Saskatchewan technology start-ups and the investors backing them.

Official page ↗

INNOVATION SASKATCHEWAN AND THE GOVERNMENT OF SASKATCHEWAN

Saskatchewan Commercial Innovation Incentive

A reduced provincial corporate income tax rate for income earned from commercializing qualifying new intellectual property in Saskatchewan.

Best for: Corporations commercializing eligible IP in Saskatchewan.

Official page ↗

GOVERNMENT OF SASKATCHEWAN

Canada-Saskatchewan Job Grant

Cost-shared funding for employers to train new or existing employees, which can cover software and technology training.

Best for: Saskatchewan employers with eligible training.

Official page ↗

PRAIRIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA

Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative — PrairiesCan

The same Prairie AI adoption program listed under Alberta; Saskatchewan businesses are eligible on the same terms.

Best for: Incorporated Saskatchewan businesses adopting or commercializing AI.

Official page ↗

MANITOBA

Manitoba businesses have the PrairiesCan programs plus the province's own innovation and training grants.

GOVERNMENT OF MANITOBA

Innovation Growth Program

Cost-shared provincial funding for small and medium Manitoba businesses developing and commercializing new innovative products and processes.

Best for: Manitoba small and medium businesses with a commercialization project.

Official page ↗

GOVERNMENT OF MANITOBA

Canada-Manitoba Job Grant

Cost-shared funding for employers to train current or new employees, including technology and software skills.

Best for: Manitoba employers with eligible training.

Official page ↗

PRAIRIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CANADA

Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative — PrairiesCan

The Prairie AI adoption program; Manitoba businesses are eligible on the same terms as Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Best for: Incorporated Manitoba businesses adopting or commercializing AI.

Official page ↗

THE FINE PRINT

Eligibility, amounts and intake windows change constantly, which is why none are stated here — the official page for each program is the only current source. A few programs have closed: the federal Canada Digital Adoption Program stopped taking applicants in 2024 and is not listed. Unconventional Group is a web and visibility company, not a grant consultancy; treat this as a starting map, not financial advice.

FAQ

FUNDING QUESTIONS.

Which funding programs apply to a business anywhere in Western Canada?

The federal ones: NRC IRAP for technology projects, the SR&ED tax incentive for eligible R&D, Mitacs for research placements, Scale AI for AI adoption projects, Innovative Solutions Canada for solving a federal challenge, and BDC for financing and advisory. The Business Benefits Finder lists which of them a specific business may qualify for.

Is the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative available in BC?

No. It is a PrairiesCan program, so it applies in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. British Columbia's federal development agency is PacifiCan, which runs its own Business Scale-up and Productivity program.

Why does this page not list dollar amounts or deadlines?

Because they change without notice, and a stale figure on a third-party page is worse than none. Each entry names the administering body, says what the program does and who it is for, and links the official page where the current terms live.

Is the Canada Digital Adoption Program still open?

No. CDAP closed to new applicants in 2024, which is why it is not listed. Provincial training grants and NRC IRAP are the nearest current routes for a business adopting software.

Does Unconventional Group help with grant applications?

No. Unconventional Group is a web and visibility company, not a grant consultancy; this page is a starting map. Where a program funds a website, a software project or training, the work itself is what we do.

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