Technology Demonstration Program (TDP)
Get 50% back, up to $50,000, on implementing the technology your completed DMAP recommends. You match the program's money 1:1. You pay the vendor first, and the program pays you back after the project. You must work with an arm's-length vendor, and funding is not automatic. Applications are open.
“Funding is available for a limited number of Ontario SMEs working with digital solution vendors to adopt and implement commercialized digital technology specified in their DMAP”
From the official program page
Before you spend any money
Costs count only after approval; if activation requirements are not met within 30 days of the approval notice, the funding offer may be retracted.
At a glance
Subject to program rules, available funding, and approval. Confirm current details with the official program administrator.
Is this for you?
- You are an incorporated, for-profit B2B product company in Ontario (including software products) with 1 to 499 full-time staff.
- You have completed a DMAP project and want to implement the technology it identified.
- You have at least $750,000 in annual revenue in one of the last three tax years, and can match the funding 1:1 and wait for reimbursement.
Probably not the right fit if
- You have not completed a Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan (DMAP). It is the entry requirement.
- You run an e-commerce operation or a professional-services firm (legal, accounting, consulting, marketing, real estate and similar).
- You want standalone marketing, SEO, website development, or a site redesign. These are all excluded.
How much you'd realistically get
For example, a new website with online booking:
Project cost
$15,000
Program pays
$7,500
You pay
$7,500
Illustration using this program's published rate and cap; amounts and eligibility are decided by the program.
Up to $50,000. For example, a $100,000 project, matched 1:1, qualifies for the maximum of $50,000.
What may be supported
- Adoption and implementation of the digital technology outlined in your completed DMAP, in partnership with a technology vendor
- Installation of a technology platform (including subscription fees) and back-office solutions supporting the technology strategy
- Software for inventory, fulfillment and shipping, product databases, sales tracking, customer loyalty and discounts, and marketing simplification
- Cybersecurity software or certifications; creation of customer databases; development of new technology
- Improving an existing technology site for added functionality (new plugins or features; a redesign is not eligible)
- Website search optimization and social media advertising ONLY when tied to the overall technology implementation plan, never standalone
- One-time salaries for technical staff installing or integrating the technology; hardware and accompanying software up to 20% of the grant
What's excluded or restricted
- Standalone marketing: advertising campaigns, SEO or social ads not tied to the technology implementation plan, website development, market research, marketing materials
- Redesign of an existing website; renewal of digital services (domain names, existing software subscriptions)
- Signage and printing; logo redesign and rebranding
- Capital expenses: land, buildings, vehicles, leasehold improvements; ongoing operational and production labour
- Purchases made before grant approval; founder salaries without a technical contribution or above $5,000 per month
- Ineligible businesses: e-commerce operations; professional services firms (legal, accounting, consulting, marketing, real estate and similar); corporate chains, franchises, charities, MLM, not-for-profits
How applying works
Effort: significantExpect the intake form, an AccessOCI application with CVs and vendor documents, an external expert review, milestone and outcome reporting, and annual retrospective surveys for three years.
- 01Complete your Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan (DMAP) first. You cannot apply without it.
- 02Choose an arm's-length technology vendor (preferably Ontario-based) with a commercialized product ready for demonstration.
- 03Submit OCI's Client Intake Form; once the BDM/DAA confirms fit they initiate your application in AccessOCI.
- 04Upload team CVs, the vendor's letter of support and company profile, request the BDM/DAA endorsement, and submit.
- 05OCI reviews internally (about one week), an external expert committee evaluates, and you are notified by email; then sign the non-negotiable funding agreement.
Who to ask: vsadr@oc-innovation.ca (Vahid Sadr, Program Manager); pmagnien@oc-innovation.ca (Patrick Magnien, Digital Adoption Advisor); jmartino@oc-innovation.ca (Jaclyn Martino, Digital Adoption Advisor)
Documents commonly required
- Resumes/CVs from relevant team members.
- Letter of support from the digital technology vendor, plus the vendor's company profile.
- Your completed DMAP.
- Financial records showing at least $750,000 in annual revenue in one of the previous three tax years.
What to know before you count on it
- A completed DMAP is mandatory before you can apply, and you must partner with an arm's-length technology vendor who provides a letter of support.
- It is a 1:1 cost share paid as reimbursement: the full $50,000 needs a $100,000 project, and you pay the vendor first.
- Hardware (with its software) is capped at 20% of the grant, and ongoing subscriptions, redesigns and standalone marketing are excluded.
- OCI may also take applications only during calls for applications that it sets, so confirm the current intake before you plan. Funding is limited.
What are your odds?
Funding is not automatic. An external expert committee scores your digital maturity, how clear your need is, how well the vendor fits your gaps, your team's expertise, and whether the plan and budget are workable.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a DMAP first?
Yes. TDP pays toward the technology that your completed Digital Modernization and Adoption Plan (DMAP) recommends, so you cannot apply without one.
Can it pay for SEO or online ads?
SEO and online ads are covered only when they are part of your overall technology implementation plan, never on their own. Website development and full site redesigns are not eligible.
Who is the technology vendor?
You pick one: an arm's-length, for-profit firm (preferably Ontario-based) with a commercialized product ready for demonstration. The vendor provides a letter of support and cooperates with OCI reporting.
When do I get paid?
It is a reimbursement program. Funding is released after the project completion claim report is approved. You pay the vendor and OCI reimburses you.
More funding by what it pays for
What you can combine it with
Matching contributions must come from private sources. Funding from the Digitalization Competence Centre (DCC) cannot be combined with other public funds for the same activities. DMAP costs cannot be claimed again under TDP.
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Worth reading before you apply
Get alerted when this changes
Programs open and close, budgets run out, rules change. We send one short email when something changes that matters for this program.
Page last updated ; status and deadline checked . Source: official program page.