Amount available: Up to $5,000,000 per project
Type of funding: Non-repayable contributions
Application deadline: June 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PDT
Program timeframe: April 2026 to March 2028
Canada holds millions of metres of archived geological drill cores that represent a largely untapped source of geoscience data. To unlock this potential, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is investing up to $40 million in contribution funding over two years, starting in 2026–27, to create a Canadian Digital Core Library (CDCL).
The CDCL will digitize the existing physical earth materials held publicly by Canada’s geological surveys to develop analysis-ready data, integrated into a standards-based national platform. This will enable new insights into Canada’s mineral deposits and ore systems.
A portion of the funding is allocated to provinces and territories to support projects to scan, digitize and make the resulting information publicly available through the CDCL. This data will support the domestic mining industry, critical minerals development—particularly minerals that support defence-related activities—and emerging technology sectors.
The maximum funding amount is 90% of total projects costs. The maximum level (stacking limit) of total government funding (i.e., federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal) for a project will not exceed 100% of the total project costs.
Expected project outcomes
The CDCL program will support the scanning, digitization and integration of provincial and territorial drill core data and related geoscience information to populate a national data platform. Expected project outcomes are:
- Core scanning to digitize provincial or territorial drill cores from priority regions and deposit types known to host key critical minerals and companion/indicator minerals, including minerals essential to defence activities.
- Generate and integrate datasets following agreed-upon standards and analytical approaches to ensure consistent and interoperable analysis-ready data is available.
- Integrate provincial or territorial data into a standards-based national CDCL platform that facilitates public access and use of core data.
- Strengthen Canada’s mining sector through improved exploration outcomes, in alignment with the Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy, and reinforce Canada’s leadership in global geoscience and mineral resource development.
Projects will support NRCan’s core responsibility: Natural Resource Science and Risk Mitigation.
Eligibility
Eligible projects
Funding will be provided to undertake scanning, digitization, and integration of provincial or territorial drill cores and related geoscientific data that have critical minerals (including defence-related minerals) potential. These data will be made freely and publicly available through the CDCL platform.
Eligible project activities are:
- scanning and digitization of drill cores and other earth materials held by provinces or territories to a nationally consistent set of system requirements and data quality standards
- integration of relevant and interoperable provincial and territorial data into the CDCL platform
Eligible recipients
- Provincial and territorial governments and their departments and agencies
- Legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada including:
- Not-for-profit organizations
- Academia
The call for proposals will be directed to provinces and territories, who may otherwise choose to designate a not-for-profit organization or academic institution to apply for the funding as the applicant (i.e., the entity responsible for the project) in a joint application. In this instance, the province or territory must provide a letter from an official with the necessary authority clearly stating who the jurisdiction is nominating to undertake the work on their behalf. All eligible applicants must be legal entities capable of entering into legally binding agreements.
How to apply
NRCan will consider projects through a directed intake process informed by program priorities and available resources. Projects will be identified by NRCan through engagement with provincial and territorial proponents. Participation in the directed intake is by invitation only. NRCan will consider projects that align with the project outcomes and eligibility criteria listed above.
If you meet the eligibility criteria and are interested in applying, please contact the CDCL program office at cdcl-cnc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca for further information.
Information included in proposals will be used by NRCan solely for the purposes of assessment, approval, and program reporting. NRCan will treat all proposal information in accordance with the Privacy Act and federal information management policies. Summary information about approved projects may be made public.
Evaluation
NRCan is committed to a consistent, fair, and transparent project selection process to identify, select, and allocate funding to projects that best fit the CDCL call for proposals' expected outcomes.
All contribution proposals must clearly illustrate how the proposed project aligns with the evaluation criteria and minimum requirements. Contribution budgets must include all eligible costs associated with the proposal. The readiness of recipients and timing of when core scanning work can begin will also be considered in the interest of maximizing the use of funds and achieving program objectives. The evaluation may also take into account the effort of supporting the Buy Canadian Policy.
The CDCL assessment committee will review and evaluate complete proposals for technical merit, alignment with program objectives, feasibility, and potential impact. After the assessment (see evaluation criteria below), projects that meet the evaluation criteria will advance to funding approval, subject to available resources and strategic priorities. NRCan will make final funding decisions. There will be no appeals process. Approved applicants will be invited to negotiate and enter into a contribution agreement specifying the terms, conditions, and reporting requirements.
Evaluation criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on:
- relevance to the call for proposals and alignment with CDCL expected outcomes
- feasibility and clarity of methods and outcomes
- technical merit of the proposal
- experience and qualifications of the applicant and partners, subcontractors and any other participants/affiliates
- quality of project plan (duration, timing, budget, and risks), including reasonable and eligible expenditures deemed necessary to meet project objectives
- if working on behalf of jurisdictions, demonstrated ability to work with provincial or territorial jurisdictions and demonstrated commitment from appropriate representative from the provincial or territorial jurisdiction in question
- demonstrated support and/or compliance with Government of Canada policies (e.g., Buy Canadian obligations (if applicable))
About the CDCL program
The CDCL program is one part of the Government of Canada’s strategy to unlock Canada’s mineral potential to drive economic growth, support environmental stewardship and strengthen Canada’s national resilience. The program is investing up to $40 million over two years, beginning in 2026–27, as a first step toward creating a modern, interoperable CDCL to support informed exploration and investment decisions and a more competitive mining industry for Canada.
Visit the CDCL program web page to learn more.
Contact us
For further information, please send an email to the CDCL program office at cdcl-cnc@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.
Disclaimer
NRCan reserves the right to alter or cancel any call for proposals, funding amounts and/or deadlines associated with any program component, or to cancel any call for proposal process at its sole discretion. Any changes will be communicated to applicants via the program website.
Any costs incurred for the submission of a project application are at the applicant’s own risk and cannot be considered as part of total project costs. In all cases, any funding under any submission, review and assessment process will be contingent upon the execution of a contribution agreement.
Until a written contribution agreement is signed by both parties, no commitment or obligation exists on the part of NRCan to make a financial contribution to any project, including any expenditure incurred or paid prior to the signing of such contribution agreement.