What is Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) — Vouchers and Co-Investment?
Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) — Vouchers and Co-Investment is delivered by Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) as a grant / voucher. Funding is typically c2C: $20,000-$50,000 from OCI per project (university stream; $20,000-$40,000 college stream), matched by NSERC and industry; Ready 4 Market: up to $250,000 pre-seed co-investment. This page covers eligibility, intake status, and what an application actually requires.
At a glance
| Funding amount | C2C: $20,000-$50,000 from OCI per project (university stream; $20,000-$40,000 college stream), matched by NSERC and industry; Ready 4 Market: up to $250,000 pre-seed co-investment |
|---|---|
| Cost share | 50% |
| Level | Provincial |
| Program type | Grant / Voucher |
| Delivered by | Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) |
| Available in | ON |
| Intake status | Open - Ready 4 Market ongoing via interest form; C2C runs targeted calls only (2026 calls ended Sep 15, 2026) |
| Last verified | 2026-10-05 |
Who qualifies
- Eligible industries: Technology, advanced manufacturing, digital industries
- Employee count: max 500
- Eligible activities: R&D; tech commercialization; industry-research collaborations; pilot projects
Watch out for
Outside Ontario; non-technology sector; over 500 employees
Deadlines & how to apply
C2C now runs through targeted calls rather than rolling intake: 2026 calls were Defence and Dual-Use Technologies (Jun 1 to Sep 15, 2026) and Artificial Intelligence (Jul 15 to Sep 15, 2026); next call TBA. Requires an Ontario academic partner; industry partner must be incorporated in Ontario 2+ years with 5+ FTEs in Ontario and contribute (at least 50% cash); apply through your OCI Business Development Manager. Ready 4 Market co-invests up to $250,000 alongside private investors in rounds of $500,000 to $2M; company incorporated 5 years or less with under $1M raised.
How NorthGrants helps with Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) — Vouchers and Co-Investment
Most business owners read about Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) — Vouchers and Co-Investment, see the funding amount, and stop. The hard part isn't finding the grant. It's building a complete application that answers what the program asks for.
NorthGrants builds the full application framework for you: a tailored project narrative aligned to this program's evaluation criteria, a budget structure that maps to eligible costs, and the supporting documentation checklist. You review it, refine the parts only you can write, and submit.