2025-2026 Expression of Interest

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) for new single or multi-year projects starting in the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

All EOIs must be submitted to operations@cannor.gc.ca before Monday, November 18th at 11:59 p.m. (PST) using CanNor's EOI Form.

As part of this EOI, priority will be given to projects that address one or more of the following business and community economic development priorities.

• Innovative Housing Solutions — projects that advance innovative housing solutions and boost productivity within the homebuilding sector in Canada.
• Diversification and Innovation — including:
  • Business Scale up and Market Expansion — projects that help businesses to accelerate their growth and assist with the adoption of innovative technologies that support scale-up, productivity and global competitiveness (e.g. clean technologies, digital adoption, e-commerce offerings).
  • Regional Innovation Ecosystems — projects that help create, grow and develop strong and inclusive (e.g., women, youth, Indigenous peoples) regional networks that support business growth and innovation, that foster the entrepreneurial environment, and that increase the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
  • Indigenous Economic Development — projects that support and increase the participation of northern Indigenous communities and businesses in economic opportunities (e.g. tourism, blue economy, mineral sector, housing industry).
  • Sector Development — projects that foster the development and growth of key sectors (e.g. Arctic security and defence, tourism, arts and culture, fisheries, food systems, housing) in a manner which increases community capacity, maximizes jobs, and enhances long-term wellbeing (e.g. circular economy) within the territories.
• Infrastructure Investments and Development — projects that leverage other investments to maximize local and regional opportunities by closing the economic infrastructure gap, supporting Arctic security and/or broadband and clean technology initiatives.
• Resource Development — projects that support the development and growth of SMEs within the supply chain and remediation sectors, as well as the exploration and development of critical minerals, innovative mining techniques and clean technology innovation.
• Skilled Workforce — projects that will increase the availability and quality of pre-employment and targeted job skills training based on industry demand, through support for curriculum development, equipment and infrastructure investments.
• Tourism Growth — projects that support communities, small- and medium-sized businesses, and non-profit organizations in developing local, community-level tourism offerings and events.
• Food Security — projects that support innovative technologies, techniques, or approaches to food systems aimed at improving local or regional food security and/or sovereignty, projects related to the strengthening of local and regional food supply chains such as the development of food regulations, regional plans, community outreach and food ecosystems efficiency improvements and projects that start/scale production, process and distribute food.
• Arts, Culture and Film Sector — projects that promote and support the creative community in the territories to diversify the local economies.
• Artificial Intelligence Solutions — projects that will address challenges related to securing growth capital, acquiring high-cost talent, AI skills gaps and high implementations costs.

Further, recent global events and evolving security needs have highlighted the important role of the Arctic in maintaining and strengthening Canada's place in the world. As such, CanNor will consider to projects that demonstrate alignment with federal security priorities and/or increase participation of northern Indigenous communities and businesses in economic opportunities related to Arctic security.

See EOI Guide for examples of the types of projects that may be eligible under each of the above priority areas.

Only successful EOI applicants will be invited to submit full applications. EOIs submitted past this deadline will only be considered should funding remain following the completion of the initial EOI assessment process.

For any questions about the EOI process, email operations@cannor.gc.ca or reach out to your CanNor Regional Office.