Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Provides federal innovation programme support in Canada and administers the Strategic Response Fund ecosystem.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is Canada's federal department for innovation, science, and economic development. It sits at the center of the federal innovation portfolio and administers programmes that support research, commercialization, entrepreneurship, and national capability building.

The department's direct routes include the Strategic Response Fund, the AI Sovereign Compute Infrastructure Program, the AI Compute Access Fund, Strategic Science Fund, Innovative Solutions Canada, ElevateIP, and the Black Entrepreneurship Program. The record also shows ceilings such as CAD 5 million for the AI Compute Access Fund, CAD 37 million for the Global Innovation Clusters umbrella, and CAD 250,000 for the Black Entrepreneurship Program.

ISED also works through partners rather than only issuing direct funding. ElevateIP is delivered through regional business accelerators, the Black Entrepreneurship Program runs through FACE and BDC, and the Global Innovation Clusters are managed by five independent nonprofits. That mix makes ISED a policy-and-delivery department rather than a single programme office.