The Government of Canada has added 70 new communities eligible for backbone projects and more than 140 underserved hexagons have been added to the eligibility data for the Connect to Innovate Program. In terms of new eligible communities, this is particularly the case in Manitoba, whereas the new underserved hexagons are distributed across the country.

The Connect to Innovate program is encouraging interested communities to download the latest corresponding templates mentioned above to ensure they are working with the most up to date information available on eligible communities and hexagons. However, should you have begun your application already, please verify that the communities you have identified as part of your proposal continue to be eligible under the program.

The Government of Canada is also reminding applicants that application(s) must be completed in full and all required supporting documentation and templates must be attached in order to submit successfully. Templates have been designed to easily extract information for the assessment process. Failure to provide the requested information in the templates may result in the application being deemed incomplete or simply unsuccessful. Applications must be submitted by April 20, 2017.

Click here to learn more about the Connect to Innovate program, including eligibility and applications, please visit the , please visit or contact the Government of Canada directly at [email protected]

*Please note that SWIFT has no affiliation with the Connect to Innovate program. Unfortunately, we cannot offer any specific guidance about eligibility for CTI funding. Please contact the Connect to Innovate program directly for questions specific to this funding program.