How to Hire Product, Regulatory, and Specialized Talent Using Government Grants

Hiring senior product managers, regulatory specialists, or niche technical talent can be costly. For many Canadian small and medium-sized businesses, the risk of high salaries slows down new product launches and compliance work. Government hiring grants help cover part of these wages. This lets you bring in the expertise you need, without putting too much pressure on your cash flow. Grants are especially helpful for innovation-focused roles.

Using Hiring Grants to Fund Specialized Roles

Government hiring grants reduce the risk for employers when adding new team members. These programs do not cover general business costs. Instead, they pay for part of the salary costs for new hires who work on clear tasks like product development, regulatory planning, or getting products to market.

Two popular programs for innovative companies are:

Innovator Skills Initiative (ISI) – Innovate BC
Access to Talent Program – Natural Products Canada (NPC)

Each program supports different types of businesses and hires. Both can help you bring in product, regulatory, and technical talent if you use them the right way. GrantHub has tools to help you check which program matches your needs before you hire.

Innovator Skills Initiative (Innovate BC): Funding Tech and Product Roles in B.C.

The Innovator Skills Initiative (ISI) gives money to employers for paid work placements in the tech sector. The program focuses on helping people enter the tech workforce and supports diversity and inclusion.

What roles can ISI fund?

ISI can help you hire for:

Product management and product operations
Software development and engineering
Data, QA, or technical support roles
Business roles tied to innovation

Both tech companies and non-tech companies hiring for tech roles can apply. The role must support technology adoption or development.

Employer eligibility for ISI

Your business must:

Be based and operating in British Columbia
Be hiring for a tech or tech-related role
Have at least 5 full-time employees, or
Show recent revenue growth, user growth, market expansion, or secured seed/angel/VC investment

If your company is outside B.C. or the role is not clearly tech-related, you are not eligible.

GrantHub’s eligibility matcher can help you filter hiring grants by province, role, and company size in seconds.

Access to Talent Program (Natural Products Canada): Support for Product and Regulatory Hires

If your business works with natural products or related technologies, the Access to Talent Program is one of the few grants that directly supports regulatory and commercialization roles.

What does the program fund?

This federal program pays for salary costs only for new hires working on:

Product or technology development
Regulatory strategy and data collection for submissions
Product scale-up activities
Commercialization, marketing, or fundraising support tied to growth

Recruitment fees, headhunter costs, and bonuses are not eligible.

How much funding can you get?

Up to 40% of eligible salary costs
Maximum of $75,000 per project

Who can apply?

Your company must:

Be an incorporated Canadian SME with fewer than 25 employees
Be developing a novel natural product or technology at TRL 4–9
Show potential to reach $10–15 million in annual revenue
Be a member of Natural Products Canada (required)

This program is especially useful for hiring:

Regulatory affairs managers
Quality and compliance specialists
Product commercialization leads

How to Align Your Hire With Grant Requirements

Grants do not fund job titles—they fund outcomes. Your job description must clearly link the role to tasks that the grant supports.

Strong applications will:

Connect the hire to specific milestones (like a regulatory submission, beta launch, or scale-up)
Show that the role is new and not replacing someone
Explain how the employee’s time will support eligible activities

For example, a “Regulatory Specialist” working on Health Canada submissions is easier to justify than a general “Operations Manager.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Hiring before approval
Most programs do not pay for wages earned before the project is approved. If you hire too soon, the role may not qualify.
Vague job descriptions
If the job does not clearly support product, regulatory, or innovation work, your application may be rejected.
Including ineligible costs
Programs like Access to Talent only cover salary. Recruitment fees and benefits are usually not covered.
Assuming all provinces offer the same support
Hiring grants are different in each province. What works in B.C. may not exist in Ontario or Alberta.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use hiring grants for senior or experienced talent?
Yes, if the program allows it. Access to Talent supports specialized and senior roles. ISI focuses more on early-career placements.

Q: Do these grants cover contractors or consultants?
No, most grants require the person to be on payroll as an employee.

Q: Can I stack multiple hiring grants for the same role?
Usually not. You cannot claim two wage subsidies for the same salary costs.

Q: Are these grants taxable?
Government wage subsidies are usually treated as government assistance. This may lower your deductible salary expenses. Check with your accountant.

Q: How competitive are hiring grants?
Programs with clear economic and innovation goals are competitive. A strong match between the role and the program’s focus is more important than applying quickly.

GrantHub tracks hundreds of hiring and wage subsidy programs across Canada. Use it to see which ones fit your business before you hire.

Next Steps

Hiring product, regulatory, and specialized talent does not have to mean taking on all the salary risk yourself. The right grant can help you bring in expertise sooner and keep your capital focused on growth. GrantHub makes it easy to find hiring programs that fit your province, industry, and role—so you can plan your next hire with confidence.

How to Hire Product, Regulatory, and Specialized Talent Using Government Grants