Overview

A wet lab is a specialized laboratory space designed to meet the unique needs for conducting, testing and refining pre-clinical research while meeting applicable safety and environmental regulations. The Ontario Wet Labs Program (OWLP) supports the rapid construction and fit-out of new wet lab space by providing funding to wet-lab developers, operators, or not-for-profit organizations (such as hospitals and post-secondary institutions).

Funding

The OWLP will provide successful applicants conditional grants of up to 33% of total eligible project costs to a maximum of $5 million per applicant.

Eligibility

The following requirements must be met to be eligible to apply for funding.

Applicant must:

  • be a registered business or not-for-profit organization (e.g., hospital or post-secondary institution) with a business number designated by the Canada Revenue Agency
  • have been in active business for at least the last two (2) fiscal years and provide financial statements (audited or accountant-reviewed) for that period
  • be in compliance with all applicable laws, including the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (Ontario), and not be delinquent in connection with any fees, levies, or taxes owing to the Government of Ontario
  • be located in Ontario

Projects must:

  • be located in Ontario and have an occupant-ready project completion date on or before March 31, 2027
  • provide wet-lab space for multiple tenants in the life sciences sector
  • upon completion, meet the applicable safety standards and regulatory requirements for the proposed facility and use (for example, Containment Level 2 [CL2] for biological facilities)

Program guidelines

Please refer to program guidelines for a more detailed description of the OWLP.

Application dates and decisions

The application intake for the program is now closed.

Applicants will be notified of decisions within approximately 60 business days of the application deadline.

Details for the next intake round will be announced soon.

How to apply

Step 1

Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria described above.

Step 2

Read the OWLP Program guidelines to better understand the program.

Step 3

Register with Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON) to create your My Ontario Account. Once registered you will be able to apply.

Step 4

Gather the required documents including:

  • copy of constating documents, such as Articles of Incorporation, Limited Partnership Agreement, etc.
  • financial statements (that is, balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements), which must be submitted as two (2) separate documents, from the previous two consecutive fiscal years, and must be audited or accountant-reviewed

Review and selection process

Applications will be evaluated on their completeness, clarity, the feasibility of the proposed project and its alignment with the goals and objectives of the OWLP.

Assessments of applications will be based on the information provided in the application, with details sought on the:

  • organizational capacity of the applicant to deliver on the project
  • overall project and potential impact (for example tenant demand, tenant services, longer-term sustainability etc.)
  • costing and budgeting
  • risks and proposed mitigation strategies

Applications deemed incomplete will not be reviewed.

After the submission deadline, applications will be assessed by a review committee and financial due diligence experts as required.

The OWLP is a discretionary, non-entitlement funding program with limited funding. Even if your application meets all program objectives and eligibility criteria, you may not receive approval for funding based on the number and strength of other applications.

Contact us

For general inquiries and questions please contact us at owlp@ontario.ca.