Open Hardware for Human Health (OH3)

About the Call

Up to $4 million is available in total, with a maximum of $1 million per project. Letters of intent (LOIs) are due 31 December 2026 and are reviewed as they are received, so we encourage you to apply early. Applications will be considered until all funding has been allocated.

At a glance

• What: Medical devices, diagnostics and related research tools. Can include hardware and/or software development. Technologies must be at least TRL 2 and there must be a credible commercialization case.
• Who: Applicants must work with a Canadian SME, either as a partner or service provider. International applicants are welcome but they must conduct development work in Canada, either through a Canadian partner or subsidiary.
• Funding: Reimbursement of up to 50% of eligible costs; up to $1 million in Conscience funding per application depending on TRL; maximum project duration of 2 years.
• Compute: projects can request access to compute through our partner, Computing for Humanity.
• Open science: must follow our Open Science Policy. Fully open projects (open hardware with open software and firmware) are given priority.
• Deadline: LOIs by 31 December 2026, assessed as they are received. Approved applicants asked to submit a full application.

Why we are launching this call

Conscience has already received multiple applications for open health hardware. We believe these are the tip of the iceberg of fantastic innovations that currently have no realistic translation path. Canada has strong hardware talent in universities, hospitals and small companies, but most of the time promising designs never make it out of the lab that created them, stall between a working lab prototype and a product others can use, or are not given support by institutions that won’t seriously consider an innovation if it isn’t patented.

This call is designed to support those innovations along a translation path. It funds the steps that turn open hardware into technologies people can rely on: better prototypes, standardized and shareable designs, regulatory readiness, certification, manufacturing and the partnerships that bring them to market.

Scope of interest

We invite projects on hardware for therapeutic applications, diagnostics, or health relevant research tools. This includes:

• Medical devices used to deliver, monitor or support treatment
• Diagnostics that detect, diagnose or monitor disease, including point-of-care and laboratory devices
• Research tools with a direct link to developing therapies or diagnostics, such as equipment for drug discovery, manufacturing, formulation or clinical research

Our support can include, but is not limited to:

• Building a prototype from a validated concept
• Moving from prototype to product, including design for manufacture, reliability and usability
• Standardizing and sharing an unshared prototype or product, so others can build, use and improve it: complete documentation, editable bills of materials, assembly and service instructions, and validation data
• Regulatory support, such as pathway assessment, quality management system (e.g. ISO 13485) readiness, obtaining health regulator approvals, and preparing submissions
• Certifications, including testing to relevant standards and open hardware certification (e.g. OSHWA)
• Scaling production and securing supply chains
• Creating or expanding partnerships between academics and companies to commercialize a technology
• Manufacturing and distribution arrangements, including service, warranty and customization models
• Validation and testing needed to show the technology works as intended

Eligibility and prioritization

Applicants must:

• Be working on hardware for therapeutic applications, diagnostics, or health research tools
• Show how the proposed project moves the technology towards commercialization. You will be asked about your commercialization plans
• Involve at least one Canadian SME as a partner or service provider. If you don’t have one, contact us
• Provide proof of matching funds
• Carry out the funded work in Canada
• Show how the project advances Conscience’s mission, in line with our Guiding Principles and Open Science Policy

Preference goes to projects that:

• Are fully open: the closer to meeting the OSHWA certification, the better
• Are closer to being a mature, market-ready technology
• Make therapies or health technologies more affordable and accessible
• Address underserved diseases or global health needs

International applicants are welcome; however, Conscience can only sign funding agreements with Canadian entities. To receive funding, you will need a Canadian partner or to establish a Canadian entity of your own by the time the agreement is signed. If you don’t have one, contact us and we will try to help.

Accessing compute from Computing for Humanity

Applicants to this call can also use research computing from our partner myresearchcloud.ca, a Canadian research cloud operated by Computing for Humanity, a Canadian charity. Its systems are hosted in Ontario, Canada. Projects can use myresearchcloud.ca for simulation, CAD and rendering, firmware testing, training models for embedded devices, or storing validation data.

There are three ways to get compute:

• Free allocations. Free cloud instances for eligible research projects. Apply at https://www.myresearchcloud.ca/apply. Details are at https://www.myresearchcloud.ca/free-services.
• Academic & Institutional Infrastructure. Paid CPU and GPU compute. No application is needed; choose and order a service directly. See CPU compute at https://www.myresearchcloud.ca/services-academic and GPU compute at https://www.myresearchcloud.ca/paid-academic-gpu-compute. Large-scale storage (hot, warm, or cold, up to multi-petabyte scale) is also available. In most circumstances, these costs are eligible for partial reimbursement for Conscience approved projects.
• Bringing on CFH as a collaborator/partner. Indicate in your LOI that you would like to bring in CFH as a collaborator. If your LOI is approved, you can apply to CFH for compute by filling out this Work Information Form (WIF) and returning it to Conscience with your full application. We will assess alongside your project application and send it to CFH for review. If it is approved by CFH, they can be brought on as an SME collaborator, allowing applicants to apply under stream 1 where they otherwise would not have been able to for lack of an SME collaborator.

For free and CFH collaborator/partner allocations, myresearchcloud.ca makes its decisions separately from Conscience.

Funding structure

OH3 has two funding streams, depending on how a Canadian SME is involved in your project:

• Stream 1: project with an SME. The applicant is a Canadian SME, or has a Canadian SME partner that will contribute materially to the project. Conscience funds up to 50% of an SME’s eligible costs, and up to 33% of the eligible costs of other project partners, such as academic institutions or large companies. At least 25% of the SME’s funding (match + Conscience) must come from non-governmental sources.
• Stream 2: project that hires an SME. The applicant is at a Canadian academic institution and wants to hire a Canadian SME to help advance the technology. Conscience funds up to 50% of total eligible project costs, however our contribution can only be spent on hiring the Canadian SME. For example, on a $100,000 project, if you contribute $50,000 from grant funding, Conscience can contribute up to $50,000 towards the cost of paying for the SME’s work.

Funding is up to $1 million per application, from a total of $4 million across the call. Maximum project duration of 2 years. The more mature, market-ready the technology is (i.e., higher TRL), the higher the funding amount and funding ratio.

All of Conscience’s standard funding terms apply:

• Funding must be disbursed to a Canadian entity
• Funding is milestone-driven and paid on a reimbursement basis, not in advance
• Claims are submitted quarterly, with regular milestone reports and a final report

Open science

Conscience’s Open Science Policy applies to every funded project. Project outputs are shared openly, under licences that allow anyone to use, build on and commercialize them, with no patents or exclusive licences.

Selection criteria

Proposals are evaluated on:

1. Health relevance: a clear link between the hardware and therapeutic applications, diagnostics, or the development of new therapies
2. Technical merit and feasibility: soundness of the design and underlying scientific rationale, readiness level, and a realistic plan with milestones
3. Path to commercialization: a credible plan to reach users, including partners, business model, regulatory pathway and manufacturing
4. Openness: the extent to which hardware, software and firmware will be open, documented and reproducible
5. Accessibility and impact: potential for near term impact and to improve affordability, access or global health
6. Team, budget, and matching funds: the right expertise, a budget proportionate to the work, and secured matching funds

How to apply

Applications have two stages:

1. Letter of intent (LOI). Submit a short LOI describing your technology, its therapeutic, diagnostic, or research use, your team and Canadian SME, and your commercialization plan.
2. Full proposal. If your LOI is approved, we will invite you to submit a full proposal.

LOIs are accepted until 31 December 2026. We assess applications as they are received, so the earlier you apply the better. Intake closes once funding has been allocated.

Questions and Contact

If you have any questions about this call, please contact Dylan Roskams-Edris at [email protected].

Please also see our FAQ below.

Relevant resources

• Open Science Policy
• Guiding Principles
• CFH work information form (Word document)

Frequently asked questions

Is my research tool in scope? Yes, if it has a direct link to therapeutic applications, diagnostics or the development of new therapies, such as drug discovery, manufacturing or clinical research. Lab equipment with only a general science use is not in scope.

What counts as a Canadian SME? A private entity in Canada with fewer than 500 employees. This includes foundations, charities, non-profits, and for-profits.

We don’t have a Canadian SME and/or Matching Funding. Can we still apply? Contact us before submitting your LOI and we’ll talk through your options.

Do I need matching funds? Yes. Conscience funds up to 50% of eligible project costs. You will need to show where the rest comes from before we can sign a funding agreement. Funds previously spent to develop the technology may count as match. Contributions in-kind can count as long as the true dollar cost can be evidenced in claims.

Does my project have to be fully open? Our Open Science Policy applies to all funded projects, meaning that full openness is the default expectation but exceptions can be considered. Projects where the hardware, software and firmware are all open are given priority.

Is a free or CFH collaborator allocation guaranteed? No. myresearchcloud.ca assesses each free allocation request separately, based on technical fit, available capacity, security and data requirements, and alignment with its mission. Conscience does not decide whether a request is accepted.

Do I need to apply for Academic & Institutional Infrastructure? No. These paid services can be ordered directly from myresearchcloud.ca. Compare options at https://www.myresearchcloud.ca/service-tiers.

Do I need to wait for Conscience’s funding decision to access a free or paid allocation? No. You can apply for a free allocation or order paid services at any time.