In a move to supercharge cleantech innovation, B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) has launched a new partnership with university entrepreneurship programs across the province.
The 2025 University Call for Innovation aims to accelerate the development and commercialization of climate solutions by offering early-stage ventures up to $100,000 in non-dilutive funding.
Ventures nominated by their respective university entrepreneurship programs are eligible for up-front investments ranging from $75,000 to $100,000. The deadline to apply is May 7, 2025.
The funding targets the critical gap between initial solution validation and the creation of a commercialization strategy—often referred to as Technology Readiness Levels 4 to 9.
Ventures must be incorporated in British Columbia and nominated by one of six participating university entrepreneurship programs: entrepreneurship@UBC (Vancouver and Okanagan), UVic Innovation Centre, SFU VentureLabs, BCIT Entrepreneurship Program, and UNBC’s Innovation Program.
“This partnership is about maintaining momentum for promising climate technologies that might otherwise stall due to lack of funding,” said CICE. “We’re supporting ventures at a critical inflection point, helping them translate research and early validation into scalable, commercially viable solutions.”
Nominations will prioritize technologies with a clear link to greenhouse gas emissions reduction, particularly in CICE’s strategic areas of focus: battery technology and energy storage, bio and synthetic fuels, carbon management, and low carbon hydrogen.