Amount: $10,000,000 per year

The Agri Innovation program makes two types of investments: those that focus on R&D activities that bring innovation to the sector and those targeted at helping the industry bring the results of the R&D to market through adoption and commercialization. This program provides repayable contributions for projects that aim to accelerate the demonstration, commercialization and/or adoption of innovative products, technologies, processes or services that increase agri-sector competitiveness and sustainability.

Eligibility Criteria: AgriInnovate (AgriInnovation)

  • Small to medium-sized Canadian for-profit companies involved in producing primary agricultural commodities

Eligible Costs: AgriInnovate (AgriInnovation)

  • Pre-commercial demonstration – projects involving the demonstration of an agri-innovation for which all necessary testing and piloting has been completed and the innovation is within 24 months of market or commercial operation; and
  • Commercialization – projects in which agri-innovations will be introduced to the market at the successful completion of the projects.
  • Adoption – projects involving the adoption of innovative agricultural, agri-food or agri-based products, technologies, processes or services where recent innovations are adopted and adapted into recipients operations.

Our Focus:

  • Create an executive summary of the project
  • Complete a detailed workplan (by activity)
  • Submit required documents including copies of organization’s certificates or articles of incorporation as well as financial statements
  • Submit letters of acknowledgement from potential research organizations and contributors
  • Submit copies of quotes provided by contractors, completed template for project outcomes, financing plan and benefits etc.

Example of the Projects Approved by AgriInnovate (AgriInnovation) Program:

A&L Biologicals Inc. – Role of microorganism communities in corn productivity. Development of Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (TRFLP) technology as a quick, inexpensive and reliable diagnostic test for soil and plant health with farmers and agribusiness as target customers. The goal is to relate specific changes in microorganism communities to yield responses by examining the microbiota of corn plants at diverse sites across Canada. AgriInnovation Commitment: $1,190,000

BioAmber Sarnia Inc. — Production of BioBased succinic acid employing yeast at a new plant in Sarnia. BioAmber’s project involves the construction of a 30,000 metric ton nameplate capacity facility in Sarnia, Ontario to produce bio-succinic acid using a yeast fermentation process. BioAmber has developed a proprietary process to manufacture bio-succinic acid from corn sugar. Bio-succinic acid is a platform chemical that can be used in a broad range of markets, from high value niche applications such as personal care products and food additives, to large volume applications such as plasticizers, resins and coatings. The project represents a joint venture with Mitsui, a large Japanese company.
AgriInnovation Commitment: $10,000,000. Source.