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Governments fund Ontario agri-food research and innovation

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $16.5 million through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to support projects that will help Ontario develop new technologies, practices and solutions for the agri-food sector.

The Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) will provide a multi-year suite of funding opportunities to support research and innovation activities that advance the sector. These funding streams include applied research, pilot and demonstration, knowledge translation and transfer (KTT) and commercialization of products, including a new Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub. Funded projects will align with the agri-food sector’s research priorities to deliver new knowledge, products and practices.

“Innovation is vitally important to strengthening the competitiveness of the agricultural sector in a sustainable way,” said Lawrence MacAulay, federal minister of agriculture and agri-food. “This funding will support applied research and commercialization so Ontario can continue to produce healthy, safe, and high-quality food.”

“Ontario is committed to driving research and innovation that delivers tangible results for our agri-food sector. This is a pillar of our Grow Ontario Strategy,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “Through this investment, we are ensuring our farmers, processors and entire value chain have access to Ontario made solutions, tools and best practices that will result in increased yields, reduced costs of production and efficiencies for years to come.”

Ontario applicants with capacity for research and development are encouraged to apply in these upcoming competitive intakes. The first application intake for three of the streams opens on Nov. 2.

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) will deliver the applied research, pilot and demonstration and KTT funding streams. Bioenterprise Corporation will deliver the commercialization stream.