Export Development Program

Grow your exports. Grow your business.

The Export Development Program is open. We are currently accepting applications for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The Export Development Program (EDP) is for Nova Scotia businesses looking to:

increase sales outside Nova Scotia
improve competitiveness
positively impact the Nova Scotia economy

EDP provides financial incentives to offset the cost of projects that assist a business’s ability to overcome barriers to export growth.

EDP offers two streams to support your business growth:

Stream 1: Travel, Trade Shows, Conferences, and Trade Missions (in-person and virtual)

Travel to a market outside Nova Scotia to visit clients, potential partners, and investors, or participate in a government trade mission
Participate in an in-person or virtual trade show or conference
Have foreign clients, potential partners, or investors visit the business’s Nova Scotia facilities for the first time*

* International travel permitted; the company will follow and adhere to all health protocols in all jurisdictions where the company is travelling. International travel should adhere to the Government of Canada’s Travel Advice and Advisories by Destination.

Stream 2: Hire a Consultant or Service Provider

Get expert help to address the challenges or barriers to selling your products/services outside of Nova Scotia and access services to improve competitiveness, from business matchmaking and market research, to re-branding your company logo, developing new promotional materials, and much more.

All eligible businesses can apply for up to a maximum of $15,000 CAD across the two streams. For minimum project requirements and a full list of eligible costs and projects, please refer to the Program Guidelines.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

Be a Nova Scotia registered business in good standing (current registration on the Registry of Joint Stock Companies).
Have a permanent establishment in Nova Scotia.
Have most of its workforce currently residing in Nova Scotia. (Some exceptions may apply where it can be demonstrated that the economic benefit can be accrued to Nova Scotia. Contact the Regional Business Development Advisor in your area to discuss.)
Be engaged in, or have imminent plans to engage in, commercial activities outside Nova Scotia, with fully developed exportable product(s), service(s), technology(ies), and/or intellectual property to the satisfaction of Invest Nova Scotia.
Have a business plan and a strategy to sell products/services outside Nova Scotia outlining the business’s target market and distribution channels and challenges in the target market and how they will be overcome.
Have no outstanding or pending claims/litigation, injunctions, judgments, orders, legal or administrative actions, or similar proceedings against the business, its principals and/or any related business(es). (Some exceptions may apply. Contact the Regional Business Development Advisor in your area to discuss.)
The business, principals and/or any related business(es) shall not be in default of any obligations under any other form of financial assistance and/or incentive program from Invest Nova Scotia, the Province of Nova Scotia, or by any agency of the Province of Nova Scotia. For purposes of this criteria, the Credit Union Small Business Loan Guarantee Program is considered a form of financial assistance provided by the Province of Nova Scotia.
Businesses and their related entities may be limited to funding for one business only at Invest Nova Scotia’s sole discretion.

Before You Apply

Please read the following documents to ensure you have all the required information available to you when completing the online form:

Important Dates

The application intake period for EDP is from February 28, 2024, to January 14, 2025, at 5:00 PM AST, or until program funding is fully subscribed.

Applications will only be considered for projects completed between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.

Two-Step Identity Verification

We use two-step verification for our online forms. Each time you apply or submit a claim, you will be asked to:

Enter your Invest Nova Scotia Customer Number and your associated email address to receive a one-time code
Enter the one-time code to verify your identity and gain access to the online form

IMPORTANT: If this is your first time applying to a program with Invest Nova Scotia or you don’t know your Customer Number, please contact your Regional Business Development Advisor to request this information.

Apply Online

There are two application forms, one for each stream. Please select the application form that applies to your funding request.

STREAM 1: Travel, Trade Shows, Conferences and Trade Missions (In-Person and Virtual)

APPLY NOW

STREAM 2: Consultant or Service Provider

APPLY NOW

Submit a Claim

Please select Submit Claim below to access the form for projects ending March 31, 2024.

Submit Claim

Please select Submit Claim below to access the form for projects ending March 31, 2025.