The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN), an Edmonton-based non-profit backed by the federal government, has launched a $6-million call for AgTech project proposals.
Accepted projects are expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2025.
CAAIN said that it is seeking research and innovation projects that tackle automation and robotics in agri-food production and processing. It will also support data-based decision-making tools that can reduce risk or optimize production, and projects that contribute to the implementation of a smart farm platform or smart farm networks.
While projects may include international collaboration, the challenge’s minimum requirements state that CAAIN funding can only flow to Canadian entities, which can include academic institutions as well as non-profit and for-profit organizations. Additionally, projects must include cash contributions from at least two Canadian small or medium-sized enterprises.
According to the project application form, CAAIN can contribute up to $3 million to a single project. To be considered, CAAIN said that it must receive project application forms from interested parties no later than 4:59 PM on Aug. 9, 2024.
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“While we are casting a wide net in terms of the type of advances we will support, our particular focus is on data-driven solutions,” CAAIN CEO Darrell Petras said in a statement. “We live in a time of rapid change, and now, more than ever, it is incumbent on us as a society to encourage our risk-takers and out-of-the-box thinkers.”
Petras, a former Edmonton Unlimited vice president, took over the CEO role in July 2023.
CAAIN launched in July 2019 with $49.5 million in funding from the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund and assistance from Alberta Innovates in the form of significant in-kind contributions. Though based in Alberta, the organization is mandated to drive collaborative AgTech research and innovation from across Canada.
Projects accepted for this latest funding challenge are expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2025, with the possibility of one-year extension. More information on the call for projects can be found on CAAIN’s website.
Featured image from Luke Thornton via Unsplash.
