Support to Demonstrate New Solutions for Dealing with Labour Constraints

Canada’s Food Innovation Challenge is offering 50% grant funding up to $2 million to food and beverage members for collaborative, industry-led, development and innovation projects related to innovative disruptive solutions for:

• Labour constraints
• Shelf-life extensions
• Side stream valorization
• Energy input reduction or reuse
• Input utilization and cost-efficiencies
• New technologies for transforming food.

Funding is to support a broad range of R&D activities at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1 to 7. Projects are expected to result in the discovery of new knowledge that aims to support the development of new technology-driven products, processes, or services at early-stage TRLs (e.g., 1-4); and/or large-scale technology demonstration, including the advancement and development of new technologies into product-specific applications at TRLs 5-7. Projects undertaking higher TRLs (i.e., 8 and 9) may also be supported if part of the overall project.

Eligible expenses include but are not limited to project-related equipment purchases, subcontractor and consultant fees, materials costs, direct labour, property leasing, plus building expansion and/or upgrades.

Project partners must include one business with less the 500 employees and sales under $50 million, plus a minimum of two additional independent companies. All partners must provide financial and/or other resources to the project. Funding preference will be given to collaborations with numerous small to large business partners. Additionally, collaboration with not-for-profit groups, research centers and learning institutions is encouraged if these organizations are facilitating and undertaking private sector funded R&D.

Note that successful applicants must pay the organization administering the fund an upfront

contingency fee of 5% against the entire project budget.

Expressions of Interest will be accepted until Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Those subsequently invited to submit a full proposal will have until Monday, June 12, 2023, to do so.