Export Development Program

The Export Development Program (EDP) is open for the following submissions:

projects completing on or before March 31, 2025
projects starting on or after April 1, 2025

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

Travel to a market outside Nova Scotia to visit clients, partners, suppliers and investors, or participate in a government trade mission
Participate in a trade show or conference
Host a first-time visit from clients, partners, suppliers or investors to the business’s Nova Scotia facilities

Stream 2: Hire a Consultant or Service Provider

Get expert help to sell 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, to developing new promotional materials, and much more.

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, 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 the majority of 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 Export Development Program is open for the following submissions:

projects completing on or before March 31, 2025
projects starting on or after April 1, 2025

The closing date is January 13, 2026, at 2:00PM AST, or until program funding is fully subscribed.

Applications will be considered for projects either completed before March 31, 2025 or between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.

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

For projects completing on or before March 31, 2025:

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

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, 2025.

Submit Claim

For projects starting on or after April 1, 2025: