Natural Resources Canada Technical Assistance Partnership Program

The Natural Resources Canada Technical Assistance Partnership (NRCan-TAP) program, funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), helps Official Development Assistance (ODA)‑eligible partner countries strengthen their institutional and technical capacities to manage natural resources sustainably, inclusively, and equitably by sharing Canada’s scientific, technical, and policy expertise in energy, forest management, earth sciences, and natural hazards.

Objectives

This program aims to:

  • Strengthen partner countries’ capacity to manage natural resources in a sustainable and inclusive way by fostering government-to-government collaboration to create practical, evidence-based policies and practices.
  • Engage Canadians in global development by sharing real life stories that highlight partner countries’ challenges and demonstrate how Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) expertise helps build capacity, strengthen connections, and support a more sustainable and equitable future.

NRCan areas of expertise

Leverage NRCan’s scientific, technical, and policy expertise to advance sustainable natural resource development and management in:

  • Energy production, distribution, and use: Renewable energy, hydrogen, advanced materials research, efficient buildings and housing, and low-carbon solutions for fossil fuel sources.
  • Forest management and forest products: Sustainable forestry, climate change adaptation in forest ecosystems, forest industry innovation, addressing pests and diseases, and supporting Indigenous forestry initiatives.
  • Earth sciences: Mineral exploration, surveying, mapping, remote sensing, open-access geoscience data, groundwater and marine geoscience research, environmental impact assessments, and collaborative engagement with Indigenous communities.
  • Natural hazards: Modelling and assessing climate change impacts, earthquakes, space weather, volcanoes, marine geological hazards, permafrost thaw, glacier melt, coastal erosion, floods, tsunamis and landslides.

Program eligibility and application process

Eligibility and application process for technical assistance

Open

Requirements and process to apply for NRCan-TAP program funding.

Making an impact: stories of success

The following initiatives are currently underway:

  • Ethiopia: Water resource modelling for climate resilience
  • Senegal: Artificial intelligence-based mapping (GeoAI) for sustainable development
  • Moldova: Strengthening Moldova’s energy sector

Background

The NRCan-TAP program is a five-year initiative (January 2024-December 2028) funded by GAC and delivered by NRCan using its scientific, technical, and policy expertise.

Guided by Canada’s commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, international assistance and trade diversification priorities and foreign policy, NRCan-TAP integrates principles of gender equality, human rights, environmental protection, and climate action through its activities.

Partnerships

NRCan-TAP delivers this work through a network of collaborative, dynamic partnerships that enable it to deliver meaningful, lasting results. These partnerships include:

  • Partner‑country institutions: National ministries, public agencies, and national universities in partner countries collaborate directly with NRCan‑TAP to receive technical assistance, training, and strategic guidance.
  • Global Affairs Canada: The program’s funder, which ensures alignment with Canada’s international development, trade and foreign policy priorities.
  • Canadian diplomatic missions: Canadian Embassies and High Commissions act as on‑the‑ground facilitators, supporting coordination, trust‑building, knowledge exchange, and alignment with Canada’s broader relations with the partner country.

Related links

Contact

To find out more about how to apply to the NRCan-TAP program, please contact your local Canadian Embassy or High Commission.

 
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