Overview

The Ontario Wet Labs Program (OWLP) is focused on supporting the development and fit-out of multi-tenant wet lab facilities with capital funding.

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 unique configuration, services, equipment, and specifications of a wet lab will depend on its intended use. For example, a chemical lab may have a greater emphasis on fume hoods and chemical storage, while a biotechnology lab may have a focus on biosafety cabinets and molecular biology equipment.

Investing in this infrastructure will:

  • advance new research to develop more products and services
  • retain Ontario talent and intellectual property in the province
  • increase access to innovative health solutions for the people of Ontario
  • attract additional investment in the life sciences sector
  • create more good-paying jobs for the people of Ontario

Eligibility

Eligible applicants must meet all the following requirements:

  • be a 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 statementsfootnote 1 (audited or accountant-reviewed) for that period
  • be located in Ontario

All applicants must ensure compliance with all applicable laws, including the Accessibility For Ontarians with Disabilities Act (Ontario), and must not be delinquent in connection with any fees, levies, or taxes owing to the Government of Ontario.

Eligible projects

Eligible projectsfootnote 2 must:

  • have an occupant-ready completion date on or before March 31, 2027
  • be located in Ontario and demonstrate that any financing other than under the OWLP will be in place by the project start date
  • meet the applicable safety standards and regulatory requirements for the proposed wet lab facility and use (for example, Containment Level 2 (CL2) for biological facilities)
    • Note: Facilities may also include areas within the larger space that are ‘dry labs’ with research desks, workstations, office or multi-use space that is not subject to a safety standard.

Eligible activities

The OWLP offers conditional grants to support eligible project activities, including:

  • facilities and infrastructure
  • equipment and machinery
  • labour (one-time)
  • materials (one-time)
  • specialized expertise
  • permits and fees

Eligible project costs

Only eligible project costs may be funded under the OWLP. The project costs must meet the following criteria:

  • be incurred on or after the project start date up to and including the project completion date (on or before March 31, 2027)
  • are directly attributable to and necessary for the completion of the project and are not wholly or partially for another purpose
  • are one-time expenditures directly attributable to the development and implementation of the project
  • are not ongoing expenditures associated with programming, ongoing maintenance, or operations
  • are actual cash outlays, net of applicable HST, that must be documented through invoices, receipts, or applicant’s records acceptable to the ministry and are subject to verification by an independent auditor (evidence of payment must be maintained for audit purposes)

Note: Each successful applicant will be required to enter into a funding agreement with the Ministry containing terms and conditions acceptable to the Ministry. Successful applicants may begin to incur eligible project costs only after the project start date, and up to, and including, the date the project is completed (project completion date). For the purposes of OWLP, the project completion date must be on or before March 31, 2027. If awarded funding, applicants will be notified via letter that will include information on the date from which a successful applicant may begin to incur eligible project costs. Eligible project expenses do not include ongoing expenditures associated with programming, ongoing maintenance, or operation.

Who is not eligible

The following are not eligible to apply:

  • charities
  • sole proprietors
  • distributors
  • retail businesses
  • personal services businesses
  • consulting businesses
  • any applicant with an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest

Ineligible projects/activities

The following projects and activities do not meet the OWLP eligibility criteria:

  • projects that are recently completed
  • projects that are not intended for entities in the life sciences sector
  • projects that will be for the exclusive use of the applicant or a single entity
  • ongoing operations and general maintenance
  • refinancing of existing business operations
  • acquisitions and buyouts
  • restructuring, or relocating to other jurisdictions within Ontario

Third-party engagement

Working with an external firm (for example a consultant) for the purposes of preparing an application has no bearing on whether an application will be successful. Applications may only be submitted by the prospective applicant – any applications submitted by a third party on behalf of an applicant will not be considered. Any costs associated with the use of a consultant for preparing an application are not eligible project costs under the OWLP. The primary contact on the application form must be an officer or employee of the applicant.

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

Application process

Applications are now being accepted and will close on March 3, 2025 at 5p.m.

Applications to the OWLP must be accessed and completed via the Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON) website. The completed TPON application form must be signed by an individual with the authority to bind the company or not-for-profit organization.

Please also include the following (only PDF format will be accepted):

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

Note: applicants will be able to attach other relevant documents in TPON as necessary (for example project plans, Gantt charts, etc.).

Only completed applications that are submitted on or before the application intake closing date will be assessed. Applications should be as detailed as possible as assessment will be based on the information provided in the application.

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

Tax compliance verification

The Ontario Tax Compliance Verification (TCV) number must be included in the application form. Generate a TCV number. If the applicant is approved for funding, an Ontario TCV certificate will be required before any funds are disbursed. We require the Ontario TCV certificate to ensure that the applicant is compliant with its federal and provincial tax obligations.

All applications must be submitted by the deadline outlined on the TPON website.

Selection process

Applications will be evaluated on their completeness, clarity, and the feasibility of the proposed project and its alignment with the goals and objectives of the OWLP. Please note that the OWLP is a discretionary, non-entitlement funding program with limited funding. Even if an applicant meets all program objectives and eligibility criteria, the Government of Ontario is under no obligation to approve funding for the proposed project.

Assessments will be based on the information provided in the application, so make sure the application is as detailed as possible.

Projects will be assessed on the following criteria:

  • organizational capacity of the applicant to deliver the project
  • overall project and potential impact (such as square footage, multi-tenant space, tenant demand, tenant services, longer-term sustainability etc.)
  • costing and budgeting
  • risks and proposed mitigation strategies

Applications that are deemed incomplete will not be reviewed.

Applications will be assessed by an internal ministry review committee and financial due diligence experts as required.

Key funding conditions

For an approved project, the Ministry will fund up to 33% of the eligible project costs up to a maximum amount of $5 million per applicant. No financial disbursements will be made until a funding agreement has been fully executed and the applicant has satisfied all funding conditions, including but not limited to the following, to the satisfaction of the ministry:

  • evidence of project financing
  • proof of insurance
  • applicant being in compliance with all applicable laws and not delinquent in connection with any fees, levies, or taxes owing to the Government of Ontario

Funding agreements

Each successful applicant will be required to enter into a funding agreement with the ministry containing terms and conditions acceptable to the ministry.

Once funding agreements are fully executed and come into effect, successful applicants are obligated to report on specific milestones and performance measures that will be outlined in the funding agreement. Performance measures and milestones provide indications on the progress of the project and the achievement of commitments defined in the funding agreement.

Funding agreements will also include provisions requiring funds to be repaid and/or adjusted if terms and conditions of the funding agreement are not met.

In addition, OWLP funding agreements will require each successful applicant to make a written representation that it is compliant with all applicable laws, including accessibility legislation. In the case of applicants with outstanding compliance issues, their application will not be considered complete. Outstanding compliance issues must be resolved before an applicant is eligible to apply to the program.

Following the project completion date (on or before March 31, 2027), applicants will be required to submit annual performance reports until March 31, 2029. These reports will provide qualitative and quantitative data to allow the ministry to:

  • understand the overall impact and value of the provincial funding
  • verify the business case for new wet lab capacity in Ontario
  • confirm the economic impact(s) of the funding including but not limited to job creation, intellectual property (IP) and commercialization activities, participant company impacts, regional impacts etc.)

Project reporting and claims for eligible expense requirements

Successful applicants to the OWLP will be expected to report project-related expense claims in year one and year two of the funding agreement, which can be adjusted based on a project’s financial requirements. Reporting requirements will include, but not be limited to, project status reports, proof of eligible project expenditures, and requests for payment.

Disbursements under the OWLP will be finalized with successful applicants during the funding-agreement development phase.

Successful applicants must retain all proofs of purchase, paid invoices, receipts, and other relevant documentation related to expenses incurred for eligible project costs. Successful applicants must also maintain all financial records (including original invoices of any items that have been purchased for the project and receipts or other evidence of payment for these items) for a period of seven (7) years from their creation.

How to apply using Transfer Payment Ontario

Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON) is the source for grants provided by several Government of Ontario ministries. TPON provides one-window access to information about grants that are available to companies. Learn more about applying for grants or check the status of an application.

To apply for OWLP funding, applicants must first register with TPON.

  • The following items are required for registration: Canada Revenue Agency Business Number, Legal Name, Operating Name, and information on at least two contacts within the organization. Note: TPON could take up to five (5) business days to process the request but is typically faster.
  • As soon as the company is registered, a “Funding Opportunities” button will appear. From here applicants can apply for OWLP funding and manage applications. Please ensure applications are submitted when OWLP is open for applications (details are available on the website for each program).

Confidentiality and public reporting

Please note that the ministry is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act as amended from time to time, and any information provided to the ministry, may be subject to disclosure under the Act. Section 17 of the Act provides an exemption from the disclosure of certain third-party information that reveals a trade secret, scientific, commercial, technical, financial, or labour-relations information supplied in confidence where disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to result in certain harms. Any trade secret or any scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour-relations information submitted to the ministry in confidence should be clearly marked.

The ministry will notify the applicant before granting access to a record that might contain information referred to in section 17 of the Act so that it may make representations to the ministry concerning disclosure.

Additionally, all information, statements and documents attached to the OWLP application form or provided to the ministry in relation to the application may otherwise be disclosed pursuant to the Act as well as any other applicable laws.

Approved projects will be the subject of public announcements. The applicant agrees that any information provided to the province in the OWLP application and in any subsequent project-related agreement may be shared with:

  • other ministries and agencies of the Government of Ontario, experts and/or authorized third-party firms for the purposes of assessing the application and administering the program and satisfying government accountability and reporting obligations
  • Statistics Canada for the purposes of program evaluation
  • the Federal Government of Canada for the purposes of assessing the application (including but not limited to assessing the potential for stacking of government funding) and administrating the program, including jointly discussing and reviewing the project and, when required, by exchanging limited due diligence findings

Ministries must publicly report annually on the status of business support programs and strategic investments, including project description and project investment commitment, amount of government support, and results achieved to date.

The province is required to make funding agreements available for inspection by the public. However, commercially sensitive information contained in the agreement may be redacted.

Following submission of a signed application, applicants are subject to compliance checks overseen by the following:

  • Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development – Health and Safety and Employment Standards
  • Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
  • Accessibility Compliance (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act).
  • Ministry of Finance – Tax Compliance
  • Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Conflicts of interest

Includes, but is not limited to, any situation or circumstance where in relation to the application process, the applicant has an unfair advantage or engages in conduct, directly or indirectly, that may give it an unfair advantage, including:

  • having, or having access to, information in the preparation of its application that is confidential to the Government of Ontario and not available to other applicants
  • communicating with any person with a view to influencing preferred treatment in the application process, including the giving of a benefit of any kind, by or on behalf of the applicant to anyone employed by, or otherwise connected with the Government of Ontario
  • engaging in conduct that compromises, or could be seen to compromise, the integrity of the funding application process and render that process unfair

In relation to the performance of its contractual obligations in a contract with the Government of Ontario, the applicant or any person who has the capacity to influence the applicant’s decisions has outside commitments, relationships or financial interests that could, or could be seen by a reasonable person to, interfere with the applicant’s objective, unbiased and impartial judgement relating to the project, the use of the proceeds of the funding, or both.

Applicants with an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest as described above in relation to the OWLP are not eligible to apply for funding under the program.

Who to contact

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

For inquiries specifically related to navigating the online application system, please contact TPON Client Care from Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST, except for government and statutory holidays, at: