Applicants submit a concise overview of the proposed project and are asked to make an initial case for why the proposed research is important to Nova Scotia, including outlining how it will lead to economic impact. Applicants also provide key eligibility and alignment information.

EOIs are completed and submitted through RNS’s online portal, Jura. Before beginning an application, applicants must have a Jura account with a completed Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (“EDIA)” self-declaration. If there are multiple Project Leads on an EOI, all must sign up for a Jura account and complete an EDIA declaration. See Resources below for specific instructions on how to complete these steps.

Proposals are assessed by RNS to determine eligibility and alignment with program objectives. Assessment is screening-oriented and selective. The goal is to identify proposals that demonstrate sufficient potential to advance to the full proposal stage.

Assessment focuses on:

• Alignment with economic outcomes, priority sectors, and sector objectives
• A credible pathway to economic impact
• Evidence of demand-side interest and end user relevance
• Potential to contribute to broader sector growth
• Initial indication that the work involves research (as defined by RNS)

Scientific quality and methodology are not assessed in depth; however, proposals must demonstrate that research is required, and that the proposed approach is plausible.

Assessment includes two components:

1. Eligibility (Pass/Fail): EOIs must meet all eligibility requirements to progress to the alignment screening.
2. Screening Assessment: Proposals are assessed qualitatively against the assessment criteria.

At this stage purpose, demand, economic value and salience are the primary drivers of decision-making.

A subset of approximately 12–15 proposals will be invited to proceed to the next stage.

The Full Proposal is a detailed written submission that occurs following the EOI stage. It provides the full case for investment, including the proposed impact, demand, research approach, team, budget, and overall feasibility of the project.

Only shortlisted applicants selected through the EOI stage will be asked to submit a full written proposal. This stage is investment-focused and is designed to determine whether a project represents a strong candidate for RNS support. Applicants will be concurrently scheduled for a pitch presentation (Stage 3).

At this stage, proposals are assessed primarily on their potential to deliver meaningful economic impact, with research quality evaluated in support of that objective.

Applicants who are invited to submit a Full Proposal will also be scheduled for a pitch presentation.

The pitch is a virtual session, consisting of a 5-minute presentation to RNS’s advisory panel by the Project Lead (applicant) and up to 15 minutes of Question & Answer (Q&A). The advisory panel is made up of external experts (e.g. those with industry, policy, and/or investment perspectives) who are familiar with the written proposal. The pitch provides an opportunity for the Project Lead to explain why the proposal represents a strong strategic investment for Nova Scotia. The pitch stage should complement, not repeat or summarize the written application.

Timing: Pitch scheduling will begin in July 2026, alongside invitations to submit a Full Proposal. Pitch sessions will occur September 14-16, 2026.

Accessibility & Accommodations: RNS is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive assessment process. Applicants requiring accommodations to participate in the pitch are encouraged to contact RNS in advance and reasonable efforts will be made to support participation.

Following the pitch and advisory panel process, RNS considers the outputs of all assessment stages and evaluates the strategic value of the investment in the context of this funding round. Assessments will consider not only the quality and ambition of each proposal, but also the overall balance across priority sectors, geographic regions, institutions, and EDIA considerations. RNS may engage further with teams at this stage prior to final selection.

Based on this review, RNS identifies a number of proposals as strong candidates for investment that will proceed to the scientific merit review stage.

Scientific merit review serves as a final validation step to confirm that shortlisted proposals meet acceptable standards of research quality. The goal is to assess whether each proposal meets appropriate standards of scientific merit.

RNS makes final funding decisions informed by:

• Advisory panel input (Stage 3)
• RNS review and portfolio considerations (Stage 4)
• Scientific merit validation (Stage 5)

Decisions reflect:

• Strength of individual proposals
• Relative value of investment
• Overall portfolio balance

Up to $2M will be disbursed to selected projects in each E2G funding round.

RNS will provide feedback to applicants for the following application stages:

EOI Stage

Feedback is provided to unsuccessful applicants upon request. Feedback must be requested by July 10, 2026, and feedback will be provided by August 31, 2026.    

Full Proposal / Pitch Stage

Feedback is provided to all unsuccessful applicants. Feedback will be provided by October 9, 2026.

All E2G projects must bring together three core elements: a clear pathway to one of the primary economic outcomes defined in the RNS Statement of Purpose, alignment with a priority sector, and work that meets the RNS definition of research. These three elements are connected. A project is not competitive simply because it is in a priority sector or produces a useful research output.

Applicants must explain how the research output will be used by named end users to generate economic growth or productivity benefits in Nova Scotia.

Alignment should be clearly articulated within the application, rather than assumed. Review the RNS Statement of Purpose to gain greater understanding of how these elements form the fundamental pillars of E2G.

A Host Organization refers to the Nova Scotia–based entity to which RNS will disburse awarded funds and that assumes full responsibility for the appropriate financial management, reporting, and oversight of those funds. The Host Organization must be able to enter into a legal and binding agreement with RNS to administer the funding.

Economic outcomes do not need to be fully realized during the project period. However, applicants must show a realistic pathway from research activities to outputs, adoption or application, and eventual economic outcomes. Strong proposals identify the expected timeline to impact, the end users responsible for applying the outputs, the baseline condition, and the target improvements that will be used to assess progress.

An End User is an individual, organization, or group that will directly apply, adopt, implement, commercialize, procure, regulate, or otherwise use the outputs of the research to help produce economic outcomes. End users play a critical role in E2G by helping ensure that the work is grounded in real needs and has a credible pathway to use, adoption, and impact.

End users must be named wherever possible and should be actively involved in shaping the research. This includes helping define the problem or opportunity, informing the research questions and approach, and supporting the pathway to adoption or implementation. They are distinct from academic audiences or other researchers and must represent those who will use the results in practice.

They may include industry partners adopting or applying research outputs, government bodies or regulators using findings to inform policy or practice, or organizations implementing innovations in real-world settings. While end users do not need to be based in Nova Scotia, applicants must clearly demonstrate how their involvement will contribute to economic outcomes in the province.

E2G is not a student, HQP, or early-career researcher capacity-building program. Students or HQP may be included as project personnel where they are needed to deliver research that supports one of the primary economic outcomes identified in the RNS Statement of Purpose.

Workforce skill development may be identified as a secondary outcome where the project creates enduring skills or organizational capabilities needed to adopt, operate, adapt, or improve a research-based innovation. Projects focused only on supporting students or HQP during the project period, without a credible pathway to one of the primary economic outcomes are not aligned with E2G.

E2G does not require match funding, and partner contributions are considered as one of several contextual factors in assessing a proposal. Contributions may strengthen an application where they support the project’s pathway to a primary economic outcome.

Funding leverage may be identified as a secondary outcome where RNS funding is expected to attract co-investment or enable essential infrastructure, equipment, or project costs needed to achieve one of the primary economic outcomes. However, E2G is not intended to provide stand-alone match funding for another funding opportunity. External funding, equipment, or infrastructure requests must be clearly connected to the project’s pathway to economic impact.

Healthcare delivery or public-sector efficiency projects may be eligible where they demonstrate a credible pathway to one of the primary economic outcomes identified in the RNS Statement of Purpose. Cost savings or efficiencies are not sufficient on their own. Applicants must explain how savings in public expenditures would be captured and redeployed to economy-enhancing growth or productivity uses, or how the research outputs would otherwise contribute to market creation or growth, productivity gains, or policy or regulatory improvement.

Projects that improve health outcomes, service quality, or internal efficiency without a clear pathway to economic growth or productivity benefits in Nova Scotia are unlikely to be aligned with E2G. General claims that improved health leads to economic benefit are not sufficient.

No, a Project Lead may only submit one application per funding round. Project Leads may also not hold more than one active E2G-funded project at a time. Project Leads with an existing E2G award are not eligible to apply until that project has concluded.

If your application was not funded, you are welcome to resubmit your application in a subsequent funding round. In doing so, we recommend reviewing any feedback you received for the initial submission.

If the proposal is identical and a trusted third party has reviewed the application (e.g. one of the Tri-Agencies), we will accept the result of that review. If the E2G proposal has areas that differ from that match funder application, then RNS will need that/those aspect(s) to be reviewed.

E2G investment holders may be eligible to use a portion of their investment to leverage additional funds from the Mitacs programs. If your project would benefit from having a student or postdoc working with a project partner and you are considering including Mitacs funding in your project, indicate your intention to apply to Mitacs in your written application by including the anticipated Mitacs amounts in both the Partner Contributions (Mitacs portion) and RNS Funding Request (RNS funds to be leveraged) section of your application. See the Full Proposal Handbook for further details.

If your host organization is a post-secondary institution or health authority, you should inform your organization of your intent to apply as soon as possible as they will need to approve your application through Jura prior to the EOI or full proposal deadline. If the organization associated with your Jura account is different than the host organization who will administer the funds, please be sure to let us know so we can resolve this issue within Jura.

If your organization is not a post-secondary institution or health authority (e.g., industry, community group), RNS will confirm host organization approval at the full application stage, if the host organization is distinct from the applicant.

The Project Lead and Host Organization must be based in Nova Scotia, but team members and project partners can be from outside of Nova Scotia.

There are no eligibility requirements for roles other than the Project Lead(s) and Host Organization. Please see the Eligibility section for additional information.

There are no specific requirements for the composition of a research team, however, applicants should consider the types of team members (end users, community partners, etc.) that could increase the strength of their application.

RNS will communicate with the Project Lead via email to the address provided in your application.

If you are having trouble navigating the Jura system, please contact helpdesk@researchns.ca for assistance.

Applicants should provide a realistic estimate of the project’s total cost and the funding requested from RNS at the EOI stage. The budget is expected to reflect careful consideration of the proposed project’s size, scope, and requirements.

Significant increases to the budget will generally not be permitted at the Full Application stage. However, RNS may consider reasonable adjustments arising from the development of the detailed proposal, such as updated vendor pricing or changes to planned project personnel.

Applicants should not inflate their EOI budget in anticipation of possible costs. The amount of funding requested will be considered when EOIs are assessed, including whether the proposed budget is reasonable and proportionate to the project’s scope and anticipated outcomes.

An Application refers to the full set of materials used to assess a project for funding across all stages of the process. This includes the EOI, the Full Proposal, and the Pitch.

The written proposals (EOI and Full Proposal) provide the case for investment at increasing levels of detail, while the Pitch is used to validate the clarity, credibility, and strength of the proposal through discussion and questions.

An EOI is the initial, high-level written submission used to assess whether a project should proceed to the full proposal stage.

It provides a concise overview of the proposed work, including the problem or opportunity, intended impact, and relevance to the sector. EOIs are used to screen for alignment with E2G objectives and to identify projects with strong potential as investment opportunities.

EOIs are not expected to include detailed methodology, workplans, or budgets.

A Full Proposal is the detailed written submission submitted if selected to proceed following the EOI stage. It provides the full case for investment, including impact, demand, research approach, team, and budget.

The Pitch is a short presentation and question-and-answer session conducted at the full proposal stage. It is used to validate the clarity, credibility, and strength of the Full Proposal, and to test key assumptions related to impact, demand, value, and feasibility.

The Pitch will align with the written proposal and should not introduce material changes to the project.

Definition
The Host Organization is the Nova Scotia-based entity that administers the funding on behalf of the project and is responsible for managing funds, ensuring compliance, and providing oversight. The Host Organization ensures that all funds are administered and used in accordance with the applicable agreement(s) with RNS and the approved project terms.

What this is:

• A Nova Scotia–based university or health authority administering RNS funds under an existing Organizational Agreement
• A Nova Scotia–based eligible organization that will provide financial oversight and compliance for the project

What this is not:

• An organization that cannot enter into a legal agreement with RNS to administer the funding
• An organization based outside of Nova Scotia

Definition
An End User is an individual, organization, or group that will apply, adopt, implement, commercialize, procure, regulate, or otherwise use the results of the research to help produce economic outcomes. End users play a critical role in E2G by helping ensure that the work is grounded in a defined need and has a credible pathway to use, adoption, and impact.     

End users should be named wherever possible and should meaningfully shape the research questions, approach, intended outputs, adoption or implementation strategy, and indicators of success. They are distinct from academic audiences or other researchers and must represent those who will use the results in practice.

End users may include industry partners adopting or applying research outputs, government bodies or regulators using findings to inform policy or practice, organizations implementing innovations in real-world settings, or other entities positioned to use the outputs to produce economic outcomes. While end users do not need to be based in Nova Scotia, applicants must clearly demonstrate how their involvement will contribute to economic outcomes in the province.

What this is:

• Industry partners who will adopt or apply the research outputs
• Government bodies or regulators who will use findings to inform policy or practice
• Organizations that will implement the innovation in real-world settings

What this is not:

• Other researchers who may build on the work
• Passive recipients of information (e.g., conference attendees)
• Organizations named without evidence of engagement or influence on the project
• End users identified only in principle, without documented evidence of involvement at the full application stage

Definition

Key personnel are individuals who have a clear and meaningful role in the project, and whose expertise or contribution is critical to achieving the project’s objectives and intended outcomes. Key personnel typically include individuals who:

• Lead or are directly responsible for major components of the project (e.g., research, implementation, coordination)
• Contribute specialized expertise required to deliver the work
• Represent end users or partners with an active role in shaping, guiding, or using the project results
• Are accountable for key decisions, deliverables, or outcomes

What this is:

• Project Lead / Principal Investigator
• Co-investigators or research leads
• Technical or domain experts essential to delivery
• Project manager (if central to execution)
• End-user representatives with an active role in the project (beyond advisory only)
• Key partner representatives directly involved in delivery or uptake

What this is not:

Individuals who:

• Have a limited, peripheral, or purely administrative role
• Are listed for general oversight without active involvement
• Are expected to contribute only occasionally (e.g., one-off consultations, informal advice)
• Are included solely to strengthen the perceived credibility of the team

A Partner is an organization that contributes to the project, such as through expertise, funding, data, infrastructure, or participation in delivery or uptake.

Definition
The Project Lead is responsible for the overall direction, delivery, and success of the project. This includes accountability for scientific integrity, project management, reporting, and ensuring that the work aligns with the approved scope, objectives, and intended outcomes.

The Project Lead must be based in Nova Scotia at the time of application and for the duration of the project. They must demonstrate the ability to lead and deliver high-quality research, based on their experience, track record, or past work. The Project Lead serves as the main point of contact with RNS and is responsible for coordinating all project partners and activities.

What this is:

• A Nova Scotia-based principal investigator or equivalent who defines the research direction and oversees delivery
• The individual accountable for meeting milestones, managing risks, and ensuring compliance
• The person responsible for communication with RNS

What this is not:

• An individual based outside of Nova Scotia
• An administrative contact with no decision-making authority
• A nominal or honorary lead without active involvement in the project
• A representative of a partner organization who is not directing the research

Definition
Economic impact refers to economic growth or productivity benefits in Nova Scotia that result from the adoption, application, commercialization, procurement, regulation, or other use of research outputs. For E2G, applicants must demonstrate a credible pathway to one primary economic outcome identified in the RNS Statement of Purpose: market creation or growth, productivity gains, or policy or regulatory improvement.

Workforce skill development and funding leverage may strengthen the pathway to impact where relevant, but they are secondary outcomes and do not replace the need to demonstrate a credible pathway to one of the primary economic outcomes.

Economic impact must extend beyond cost savings or internal efficiencies and show a clear path to creating new economic activity or value within Nova Scotia.

What this is:

• Creation of a new product or technology that leads to revenue generation or export opportunities
• Attraction of private investment or follow-on funding into Nova Scotia
• Growth or establishment of two or more companies within a priority sector
• The adoption of innovations that increase broader sector output or competitiveness

What this is not:

• Cost avoidance or operational efficiencies without resulting growth
• Internal process improvements with no clear link to increased economic activity
• Vague or aspirational claims of impact without a defined pathway

An Indicator is a measurable sign of progress or success, used to track outputs, outcomes, or impact.

A Milestone is a significant point in the project that marks progress. It should be measurable, tied to specific activities, and linked to a defined timeline.

An Outcome is a measurable change or benefit that results from the use, adoption, application, or implementation of research outputs. Outcomes may affect organizations, sectors, systems, markets, policy environments, or the broader economy. In E2G, outcomes must contribute to economic growth or productivity benefits in Nova Scotia. Research activities produce outputs; outputs are used by end users; and that use leads to outcomes and longer-term impact.

For E2G, applicants must identify one primary economic outcome from the RNS Statement of Purpose: market creation or growth, productivity gains, or policy or regulatory improvement. Applicants may also identify secondary outcomes, such as workforce skill development or funding leverage, where these support the pathway to the primary outcome.

An Output is what the project produces directly (e.g., data, tools, technologies, reports, or prototypes).

Definition
Productivity means getting more valuable output from the same or fewer resources. Productivity improvements are only considered relevant where they enable or contribute to measurable economic impact (e.g., increased output, competitiveness, or sector expansion).

What this is:

• A new process that allows companies to produce more goods or services with the same resources, enabling growth or expansion
• Technologies that reduce production time and enable scaling or increased market participation
• Innovations that improve quality or output in a way that strengthens sector competitiveness

What this is not:

• Internal efficiency gains that result only in cost savings without growth
• Marginal process improvements that do not influence output, scale, or competitiveness
• Productivity framed solely as “doing the same with less” without downstream economic effects

Definition

Sector-building means strengthening a priority sector in Nova Scotia in a way that benefits more than one organization. This includes generating knowledge, tools, technologies, talent, or infrastructure that can be adopted, adapted, or leveraged by multiple actors within the sector.

What this is:

• Developing a new methodology that can be used by multiple companies in offshore wind monitoring
• Creating datasets, standards, or protocols that improve industry-wide practices
• Advancing a technology platform with clear pathways for uptake across multiple firms or organizations
• Training highly qualified personnel (HQP) with skills directly relevant to sector needs

What this is not:

• R&D conducted solely to improve one company’s internal product or process
• Proprietary development where outputs are restricted and not meaningfully shared or transferable
• Patent-driven work where the primary or sole intent is to secure exclusive competitive advantage without a credible pathway for broader sector benefit
• Work where any broader benefit is incidental, speculative, or limited to conference presentations

The Stage of Development describes how far a project has progressed toward real-world use. It indicates whether the work is at an early stage (exploring ideas), a development stage (building and testing solutions), or a later stage (preparing for implementation or use). This helps assess whether the proposed work is appropriate for E2G and whether it is ready to move toward economic impact.

Projects are expected to clearly describe their current stage and how the proposed work will advance them toward use or implementation.

• Once open for application, the E2G EOI application is found under the ‘Funding Opportunities’ section of the Jura homepage once open.
• Once a proposal has been started and saved, it can be accessed under ‘In Progress Applications.’
• Information entered in Jura is  NOT automatically saved. Click the ‘Save Draft’ button frequently to avoid losing work.
• Application sections are displayed as tabs. All required sections must be completed before submission.
• Questions marked with a red asterisk (*) are mandatory. The system will not allow submission unless all required fields are completed.
• Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline to allow time to resolve any technical issues.

• Rich text fields allow for basic formatting of responses (e.g., bold, italics, lists) to improve clarity and readability.
• If copying content from external programs (such as Microsoft Word), carefully review formatting after pasting. Differences in font, spacing, and size are common and should be corrected.
• Rich text fields accept text only. Graphs, figures, images, and other visual elements cannot be pasted or embedded within these fields. If applicants wish to include visual materials, they must be uploaded separately in the appropriate section of the application.

• Some sections require information to be entered using tables which open in a separate pop-up window.
• Click the relevant button to launch the table. Rows can be added using the “+” button and removed using the “X” button beside each row.
• Once all information has been entered, click “Save” within the table window before closing it. If you exit the window without saving, any entries will not be retained.
• After saving, close the pop-up window and return to the main application form.
• For tables that include financial information, certain fields may auto-calculate totals (e.g., by year or cost category). Applicants should review these calculations for accuracy.

• All uploaded documents must be in PDF format and must not exceed 2GB in size.
• Applicants must adhere to all stated page limits. Any content that exceeds the maximum allowed length will not be considered. For example, if a CV exceeds the page limit, only the permitted number of pages will be reviewed.

Project Leads may invite others (i.e. co-applicants, collaborators, or partners) to view the submission via the ‘Invitations’ tab    on the left side of the submission form. To invite an individual as a viewer:

1. Select ‘+’ to add a new viewer.
2. Enter the individual’s contact details and select the ‘viewer’ role from the role dropdown.
3. Once the contact information is entered for all viewers, select ‘Invite’ to send an email invitation. Invited individuals will be able to create a Jura account and view the proposal under the ‘In Progress Applications’ section on their Jura homepage.

To allow others to edit the application, please contact helpdesk@researchns.ca.

Applicants are advised to preview proposals as PDFs before submission by clicking on the ‘EOI Summary’ (for EOI stage) or ‘Application Summary’ (for Full Proposal stage) button at the top of the application. This PDF version is what will be provided to reviewers and represents how the application will appear following submission. Reviewing the PDF allows for confirmation that all content has been entered correctly, appears as intended, and is complete.

Applicants should pay particular attention to formatting. As mentioned above, content copied from external programs (e.g., Word) may not display as expected in the system. Only plain text can be entered directly into form fields; tables, figures, and other formatted content must be uploaded as supporting documents. Taking the time to review the PDF version prior to submission will help ensure the application is clear, complete, and ready for assessment.

• Applicants will receive automated emails from the Jura system as the application progresses through submission.
• Following submission, applications will be routed to the Host Organization for review prior to submission to RNS. This step applies to post-secondary institutions and health authorities.
• Applicants will then receive a second confirmation email indicating whether the application has been submitted to RNS or declined by the Host Organization.
• For industry-led applications or other applications where Host Organization review is not required, applications will proceed directly to RNS, this review is conducted by Research Nova Scotia rather than a Host Organization. In these cases, applicants may be required to provide a confirmation of Host Organization’s support at a later stage.

Please contact helpdesk@researchns.ca for any assistance with technical issues.