SR&ED for Life Sciences & Health Tech

Yes. Health tech companies often combine software and clinical challenges, and both can qualify when the work resolves a technological or scientific uncertainty.

No. Preparing regulatory submissions isn't SR&ED in itself. The experimental work that generated the data in a submission may qualify, depending on how it was done.

Medical and life sciences claims depend on understanding the science behind the work. Our Life Sciences Advisor, Dr. Nargues Eshkevari, MD, helps assess and describe clinical and biomedical R&D accurately.

Pre-clinical research generally qualifies strongly for SR&ED. Clinical trials are more nuanced — the work must involve technological uncertainty, not just be required for regulatory approval. Phase I and II trials exploring unknown biological effects or device behaviour often contain eligible components. Phase III confirmatory trials typically do not qualify on their own. SoftInventors conducts a detailed review of your trial protocols to identify what qualifies and build a defensible claim.

Yes, but government assistance reduces your eligible SR&ED expenditure base dollar-for-dollar. Overlapping funding needs careful structuring to maximize the combined benefit. The timing and characterization of grants relative to your SR&ED claim can significantly affect your net refund. SoftInventors models your full funding stack to identify the optimal sequencing.

Life sciences projects often span multiple fiscal years with significant capital commitments. The Pre-Claim Approval Process — introduced under Bill C-15 — lets you seek advance CRA confirmation that a project qualifies before filing. For multi-year clinical programs, this provides certainty early and reduces the risk of a large claim being challenged after the work is done. It is especially valuable before committing to capital-intensive experimental programs.