CanExport SME is a Government of Canada program that provides direct financial assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises seeking to develop new export opportunities. The program reimburses up to 50% of eligible expenses for activities that help Canadian businesses diversify into new international markets.
CanExport covers professional services that help Canadian businesses become discoverable and verifiable in new international markets. Entity verification infrastructure, credential markup, and global knowledge graph seeding directly serve this purpose: they make Canadian exporters findable and trustworthy to international procurement systems. Our project scoping, deliverables, and documentation are structured specifically to align with CanExport’s eligibility requirements and reporting standards.
CanExport SME has specific eligibility criteria that were updated for the 2026–2027 intake. The program details and final eligibility are determined by the Trade Commissioner Service, but most of our clients meet these requirements:
The 2026–2027 application window is open now: February 4 to May 29, 2026. Funding is awarded competitively on a rolling basis while funds remain available. Full eligibility criteria are on the Trade Commissioner Service website. We can help you assess your eligibility as part of our initial conversation.
We discuss your export goals, target markets, and current entity infrastructure. We assess whether your project is a strong fit for CanExport and scope the engagement accordingly.
We provide a detailed project description, deliverables list, and cost breakdown formatted for the CanExport application. The documentation is designed to clearly demonstrate how the project meets the program’s “Market Diversification” criteria.
Once CanExport approves your application, we begin the engagement. You pay the full project cost upfront. We deliver the work and provide all documentation needed for your reimbursement claim.
You submit your claim to CanExport with our invoices and project documentation. The program reimburses up to 50% of eligible expenses (the funding request must be between $10,000 and $50,000, meaning total project value between $20,000 and $100,000).
Important: CanExport applications must be submitted before project work begins. We’ll help you time the application and project start correctly.
Our knowledge architecture services map directly to CanExport’s eligible expense categories. Here’s how each engagement aligns:
Qualifies as market research and assessment. The audit evaluates how your business appears to international procurement systems and produces a prioritized roadmap for trade readiness. Strong standalone CanExport project.
Qualifies as professional services for market entry. Entity verification infrastructure, multi-platform claiming, and Canadian BN schema verification directly support international market presence.
Qualifies as marketing adaptation for international markets. Credential markup, structured case studies, and hasCredential schema make your qualifications machine-readable for procurement AIs in target markets.
Qualifies as professional services for market diversification. Global graph seeding into Wikidata, DBpedia, and international knowledge systems establishes verified entity presence in target market databases.
A $15,000 knowledge architecture project with 50% CanExport reimbursement becomes a $7,500 investment in infrastructure that compounds.
These are representative scopes. Every engagement is customised to your export goals and target markets.
Entity Authority Audit scoped for international procurement readiness.
$8,500 – $15,000
After CanExport: $4,250 – $7,500
Authority Record + Proof Architecture scoped for trade credential verification.
$25,000 – $40,000
After CanExport: $12,500 – $20,000
Full knowledge architecture including global graph seeding and ongoing management.
$40,000 – $60,000+
After CanExport: $20,000 – $30,000+
CanExport funding requests must be between $10,000 and $50,000 per project, with total project value between $20,000 and $100,000. Amounts shown assume 50% reimbursement of eligible expenses. Final reimbursement rates are determined by the Trade Commissioner Service. Funding is competitive and not guaranteed.
