The biotechnology sector in Canada is a vibrant and rapidly growing part of the national innovation ecosystem, but it faces significant R&D funding challenges that impact product development, commercialization, scalability, and global competitiveness. In Canada, biotechnology is largely science-driven and IP-heavy, with many companies focusing on early-stage discovery, preclinical and clinical trails, platform development and licensing partnership with global pharmaceutical companies. Ayming is here to help your organizations navigate government funding programs, leveraging tax incentives and grants to support your research, access the market and grow faster.
Biotechnology & CRO
Address the key challenges
The biotechnology and CRO sector sits at the intersection of tool development, omics analysis, and translational research. Innovation in this space often occurs under complex regulatory frameworks, with stringent requirements for reproducibility, safety, and compliance.
To meet these challenges, a wide range of funding programs are available to biotechnology and CRO organizations, supporting every stage from discovery to commercialization. These programs fuel early-stage R&D, clinical trials, and cutting-edge technologies such as gene editing and AI-driven drug discovery. They also provide critical backing for infrastructure investments, from specialized equipment to advanced facilities, and play a vital role in translating academic research into industry impact. With strategic priorities spanning vaccines, rare diseases, oncology, and sustainable biotech, these funding opportunities are designed to accelerate both scientific progress and business growth.
Unique R&D challenges in key innovation areas:
- Personalized Medicine: Integrating omics data, diagnostics, and patient-specific approaches amid regulatory uncertainty.
- AI & Machine Learning: Tackling data bias, refining predictive models, and validating algorithms across diverse datasets.
- Precision Medicine & Omics: Translating complex multi-omics data into actionable insights and accurately classifying genetic variants.
- Drug Discovery & Development: Overcoming high costs, compound optimization, and preclinical validation challenges.
- Cell & Gene Therapy: Ensuring safety and trackability, efficacy, scalability, and regulatory compliance during R&D and manufacturing.
- CRO-Specific Challenges: Navigating project ownership, determining the eligibility of work performed under contract, and maintaining proper documentation to support funding claims.
These challenges require extensive research and development, supported by a comprehensive mix of funding opportunities such as SR&ED tax incentives, government grants, and innovation loans. Whether you’re advancing AI-driven genomics, developing next-generation therapies, or managing complex preclinical and clinical trials, tailored funding options can help accelerate your innovation.
How we can help maximize your results
We help biotechnology companies and CROs identify and claim all eligible SR&ED activities embedded in their research and development. From platform development, omics and personalized medicine to AI-driven analysis, precision medicine, and cell & gene therapy development.
Our comprehensive support includes:
- Technical Expertise and Project Framing: Many early-stage biotech firms lack the resources or expertise to effectively claim SR&ED. They fail to recognize that early R&D, failed experiments, and assay development are eligible activities. Clinical-stage companies also struggle to claim SR&ED on outsourced work performed by local or international CROs. Our specialized consultants collaborate closely with your team to understand your R&D activities. This includes work in genomics, multi-omics analysis, AI model development, and clinical trial support. We then translate these efforts into compelling, compliant SR&ED narratives designed to maximize recoverable funding.
- Clarifying eligibility when working client-funded: Many CROs assume their contracted work isn’t eligible because it’s performed for clients. In reality, contractors, including CROs, can often claim SR&ED if they retain risk and conduct eligible R&D in Canada. This includes opportunities even when working with foreign sponsors or non-taxable entities. We help assess contract structures, intellectual property rights, and technical scope to determine what qualifies and how to structure future engagements for eligibility.
- Audit defense and compliance strategy: The CRA increasingly scrutinizes SR&ED claims, particularly in the biotechnology sector. We provide early warnings on audit trends and policy changes affecting the biotechnology companies and CROs, and if selected for review, we manage the end-to-end audit response to minimize business disruption.
Whether you’re advancing AI-driven genomics, developing next-generation therapies, or managing complex clinical trials, we translate your innovation efforts into impactful SR&ED claims that maximize financial return, and private investments, while ensuring regulatory compliance.
We assist biotechnology companies and CROs in accessing a comprehensive range of government funding options, including repayable innovation loans, non-dilutive grants, and strategic programs. Our expertise supports securing funding for high-impact research and development in areas that are often overlooked, such as personalized medicine, omics analysis, AI-driven drug discovery, and clinical trial.
Our mission is to secure the necessary capital to accelerate biotech innovation, support clinical development, and advance transformative therapies. We work closely with your leadership to align project objectives with federal and provincial priorities, such as precision medicine, regulatory updates, and improved patient outcomes. This partnership helps develop persuasive applications that increase approval success.
Our comprehensive support includes:
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Grant Applications
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Pre-Application Strategy & Positioning
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Government Relationships & Advocacy
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Funding Landscape Insights & Strategy
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Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Funding Strategy
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Post-Approval Compliance & Claim Support
Whether you’re advancing AI-driven genomics, developing next-generation therapies, or managing complex clinical trials, we help you build a strategic funding roadmap that fuels innovation and drives growth.
More about Government Grants, Loans & Innovation Funding
Government Grants & Loans | Our Full-Service Approach
We assist biotechnology companies and CROs in leveraging IP Box incentives to maximize the value of their intellectual property and innovation. These programs reduce the effective tax rate on income generated from eligible patents and technologies, freeing up resources to reinvest in R&D, advanced therapeutics, and clinical development initiatives.
Whether you’re developing platforms, AI-driven genomics tools, advancing cell and gene therapies, or managing complex clinical trials, we help you unlock the full potential of your intellectual property, creating a strategic funding roadmap that accelerates innovation and enhances financial efficiency.
Transforming the Biotechnology and CRO sector
Our latest insights on driving innovation and shaping the future of the Biotechnology and CRO sector.
