The SIM Centre is funded by a five-year research grant from the College and Community Innovation Program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

The CCI Program enables Canadian post-secondary institutions to increase their capacity to work with local companies to support applied research and collaborations that facilitate commercialization, technology transfer, adaptation and adoption of new technologies. The CCI Program increases the economic development of the community and creates new jobs based on know-how and technological innovation.

The grant provides 2.8 million in funding over five years; of this, industry partners have pledged over $500,000. This funding has allowed Emily Carr to establish the SIM Centre as the focal point of applied research projects with students, faculty, and industry partners working on projects at the intersections of digital and new media production and prototyping.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is a federal agency whose vision is to help make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for the benefit of all Canadians. The agency supports some 26,500 university students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding more than 11,800 university professors every year and fosters innovation by encouraging more than 1,400 Canadian companies to participate and invest in postsecondary research projects.