ITIF key parameters.
Who qualifies for ITIF?
- Canadian for-profit corporations in the forest products sector
- Sawmills, pulp and paper mills, engineered wood producers
- Forest-based bio-economy companies
- Projects with minimum $1M in eligible costs
- Non-forestry industries
- Projects below $1M in eligible costs
- Foreign-controlled entities without Canadian operations
What ITIF funds.
- Adoption of innovative technologies to improve productivity and competitiveness
- Implementation of advanced manufacturing processes in wood products
- Development and adoption of new forest-based products (mass timber, bio-materials)
- Process automation and digital transformation in sawmills and mills
- Energy efficiency improvements tied to industrial transformation
- Pilot demonstrations of innovative forest-sector technologies
What costs are covered?
- Capital equipment required for transformation projects
- Engineering and design fees
- Installation and commissioning costs
- Project management and professional services
- Training directly tied to implementing new technologies
- Pilot and demonstration infrastructure
From expression of interest to agreement.
- 01
Expression of interest
Submit initial EOI to Natural Resources Canada describing the transformation project.
- 02
Eligibility screening
NRCan confirms sector eligibility, project scale, and strategic fit with ITIF objectives.
- 03
Full application
Submit detailed project proposal with financials, timelines, and expected outcomes.
- 04
Negotiation & agreement
NRCan negotiates terms; contribution agreement signed before project start.
Your questions about ITIF.
What is the ITIF program?
ITIF (Investments in Forest Industry Transformation) is a Natural Resources Canada contribution program funding large-scale transformation and competitiveness investments in Canada's forest products industry. It covers up to 50% of eligible costs for projects of at least $1 million.
What is the minimum project size?
Projects must have at least $1,000,000 in eligible costs to qualify for ITIF. This makes it a program designed for substantial industrial transformation investments, not small digital or operational projects.
Is ITIF available in Quebec?
Yes — ITIF is a federal program available Canada-wide, including Quebec. Quebec forest companies can combine ITIF with provincial MRNF programs for additional support on qualifying transformation projects.
What types of projects does ITIF support?
ITIF supports adoption of innovative technologies to improve productivity, advanced manufacturing processes in wood products, new forest-based products such as mass timber and bio-materials, automation, energy efficiency improvements, and pilot demonstrations of innovative technologies.
Is ITIF a grant or a repayable contribution?
ITIF typically takes the form of a repayable contribution for commercially viable projects, or a non-repayable contribution for demonstration/pilot projects with significant public benefit. The specific terms are negotiated on a project-by-project basis with NRCan.
Can ITIF be combined with other programs?
Yes. ITIF (federal) can be stacked with provincial forestry programs such as MFOR or Programme Innovation Bois (Quebec), as long as cumulative public funding does not exceed program-specific caps. Hubvention structures the optimal combination for large forestry transformation mandates.
How long does ITIF take to process?
ITIF applications involve an expression of interest, full proposal, and negotiation phase. The total timeline from EOI to signed agreement typically runs 6–12 months for large projects. Hubvention recommends beginning the ITIF process well in advance of planned project start dates.
How does Hubvention support ITIF applications?
Hubvention structures the ITIF mandate from EOI to signed contribution agreement, including project framing, financial modelling, narrative preparation, and coordination with NRCan advisors. Our forestry and industrial transformation expertise ensures alignment with program objectives.
ITIF — Start your file.
We handle the full mandate: eligibility audit, file structuring, submission, follow-up.
- Structured mandate
- Confidentiality guaranteed
- 20 minutes