Genome Canada’s new Natural Resources Initiative launched – $25 million in total funding available

June 17, 2026

Overview of Funding Opportunity

Genome Canada’s latest mission-driven research initiative will lay the foundations for a generational transformation in Canadian natural resources systems and biodiversity management. The new initiative is expected to include an investment of over $50 million over three years from Genome Canada and its partners – with a $25 million investment from the Government of Canada through Genome Canada.

The Natural Resources Initiative has the following objectives:

Improve natural resources systems monitoring, environmental resilience and regulatory efficiency.

Support the development of accessible and usable genomic data resources, including a national hub, that can support natural resources research and decision-making across Canada.

Optimize the re-use of data through adherence to FAIT (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) principles and support coordination across genomics, natural resources and biodiversity data initiatives.

Support the development and integration of AI-enabled analytical tools across datasets to enhance discovery, forecasting and real-time decision-making capabilities.

Advance Indigenous data governance and sovereignty through Indigenous-led frameworks and partnerships.

Improve alignment with international initiatives in genomics, natural resources and biodiversity.

Create a sustainable community of practice around natural resources genomics, governance and data coordination.

Three Integrated Funding Streams

The program funding will be focused on three integrated streams.

Stream 1: Driver Projects

Driver projects apply genomics to biodiversity and natural resources, generating high-quality, standardized datasets like eDNA, metagenomics, and population genomics - to improve sustainability, productivity, competitiveness, and innovation, while embedding GE3LS considerations and respecting Indigenous data rights.

Eligibility, Requirements and Parameters

Eligible Institutions:

Organizations eligible under Genome Canada’s Guidelines for Funding
Indigenous organizations and governments
Canadian incorporated start-up companies operating primarily in Canada

Requirements:

Apply genomics to biodiversity and natural resources to improve sustainability, productivity, competitiveness, and innovation.
Produce high-quality, standardized genomics datasets from natural resources (e.g., eDNA, metagenomics, population genomics, environmental metadata).
Integrate GE3LS considerations to support trusted data governance, responsible AI, and tools/standards reflecting societal values, community benefits, and Indigenous data sovereignty.
Govern Indigenous data under Indigenous-defined terms, following established principles (OCAP®, OCAS, CARE) and UNDRIP for decisions on access, use, sharing, and withdrawal.

Parameters

Up to $19 million in funding available from Genome Canada.
Genome Canada’s minimum contribution to an approved project is $1 million and the maximum contribution is $2 million.
A minimum 1:1 co-funding ratio is required.
Funding is for a term of up to three years.
Applicants can request up to a total of 20 per cent of Genome Canada funds to flow to start-up companies to fund research, including GE3LS activities.
Project duration up to 3 years.

Stream 2: National Genomics Data Hub

This hub is meant to be the central place where genomics data from these projects gets catalogued, standardized, quality-checked, made AI-ready, and governed, with particular emphasis on respecting Indigenous data rights throughout.

Eligibility, Requirements and Parameters

Eligible Institutions:

Organizations eligible under Genome Canada’s Guidelines for Funding
Indigenous organizations and governments

Requirements:

Build a national catalogue of all the datasets created by Stream 1 projects, searchable by things like location, species, data type, and Indigenous community/governance conditions.
Make different datasets work together by aligning them to common standards, so data from various sources can be compared and combined.
Check and improve data quality, including validating datasets, making them AI-ready and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable), tracking where data came from, and monitoring whether projects are following the rules.
Provide a place to deposit data into a national databank.
Make the data usable by AI and other tools through programmatic access (APIs), integration with analytics and modeling workflows, and clear labelling of usage rights and licenses.
Support Indigenous control over relevant data, by providing the standards, infrastructure, and capacity for Indigenous stewardship and governance within the hub and connecting to Indigenous-run data systems on terms the communities define.
Train and support funded projects with guidance, templates, and onboarding, set up the system so it can be handed off to another organization later for long-term sustainability, and work with Stream 1 and 3 projects to put Indigenous governance requirements into practice.

Parameters

Up to $5 million is available from Genome Canada.
A minimum 1:1 co-funding ratio is required.
One hub project is expected to be funded.
Funding is for a term of up to three years.

Stream 3: Indigenous Data Governance Frameworks

This stream supports Indigenous-led, distinctions-based governance frameworks, co-developed with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit rights-holders, that guide how genomic and environmental data in Canada's natural resources sectors are owned, accessed, used, shared, and stewarded, grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

Eligibility, Requirements and Parameters

Eligible Institutions:

Organizations eligible under Genome Canada’s Guidelines for Funding
Indigenous organizations and governments

Requirements:

Develop practical, accessible tools and resources (e.g., templates, consent pathways, engagement checklists, benefit-sharing frameworks) written in plain language for use by communities, researchers, data stewards, funders, and partners.
Clearly articulate how OCAP®, OCAS, Inuit data governance principles, and UNDRIP are respected, including collective rights and community ownership, governance across dataset/project/organizational/system levels, and mechanisms for enforcement, accountability, and dispute resolution.
Establish Indigenous-led oversight structures so rights-holders hold genuine authority over data access, use, sharing, and future applications.
Address fair and equitable benefit sharing across both non-commercial and commercial contexts (e.g., knowledge return, capacity building, stewardship support, economic participation).
Operate at multiple levels - project (design, consent, collection, sharing), organizational (institutional responsibilities and accountability), and systems (interoperability with national infrastructure, long-term stewardship, alignment with broader Indigenous data ecosystems).
Include an engagement outline specifying who to engage, at what project stage, and how, distinguishing the design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination/archiving stages.

Parameters

Up to $3 million is available from Genome Canada for Stream 3.
Genome Canada’s minimum contribution to an approved project is $500,000 and the maximum contribution is $1 million.
Co-funding is not a requirement of this funding stream but is encouraged where it supports community priorities and does not compromise Indigenous-led oversight.
Funding is for a term of up to three years.

How to Apply

Applicants must apply through a regional Genome Centre.

Step 1: Find out if your project qualifies

Contact [email protected] on our business development team to discuss your idea and find out if your project qualifies.

Step 2: Submit Letter of Intent (LOI)

Applicants must submit an LOI outlining the proposed project, project team, anticipated impacts, and budget. Genome Canada will review submissions to confirm eligibility and alignment with the objectives of the funding stream.

Genome Atlantic has established the following timeline to receive LOIs sections/versions to enable our team to provide support and guidance to applicants in advance of the Genome Canada LOI submission deadline on Aug 31, 2026 for competition streams 1 and 2. Note that the timeline for Stream 3 will be announced in fall 2026.

Our Centre deadlines are as follows:

Aug 5: Draft of LOI including at minimum: proposed project activities (2000 character max), project’s data management strategy (2000 characters max), GE3LS research (1500 characters max), anticipated impacts and benefits (1500 characters max), and project team description (1500 characters max).

Aug 10: Draft budget

Aug 17: Completed demographic surveys. (Note: incomplete or absent demographic surveys will prevent submission to Genome Canada)

Aug 24: Final, completed LOI package uploaded to Proposal Central. (Note: Organization Signatures may be submitted through Aug 28th)

Aug 31: Genome Atlantic submits LOIs to Genome Canada.

Applicants must meet Genome Atlantic deadlines to guarantee their opportunity to receive review and feedback, which is critical to supporting eligibility and alignment with the objectives of the funding opportunity.

Step 3: Submit Full Proposal

All applicants who are invited to proceed will submit a full proposal detailing the project plan, anticipated outcomes, partnerships, budget, co-funding strategy, management approach, and other stream-specific requirements.

All applications will undergo a rigorous review process involving independent expert assessment and portfolio-level review to ensure alignment with the initiative’s objectives and expected impacts.

More details on How to Apply are available on Genome Canada’s website.

Applications must be submitted through a regional Genome Centre

Please contact Kaitlyn Keller at [email protected] to see if your project qualifies and for help with the application.

More details on Eligibility are available on Genome Canada’s website.

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