Regina, SK, Feb. 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Protein Industries Canada will start accepting Expressions of Interest (EOI) for new technology leadership projects on March 1, 2023. This is the first call for projects under the new tranche of $150 million funding provided through the Government of Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster program. EOIs under this call will be accepted until April 19, 2023.
“We are excited to once again be able to start accepting EOIs for new technology projects,” CEO of Protein Industries Canada Bill Greuel said. “Our new five-year runway presents us with the opportunity to co-invest into ambitious projects that will anchor Canada’s position as the partner of choice to secure global food supply chains. At the same time, the accomplishments of our partners will bring new economic value to Canada as we continue our journey to create a $25 billion industry by 2035.”
Protein Industries Canada will again be accepting EOIs from across the value chain with an increased emphasis on ingredient processing. The four areas of focus for technology projects are:
- Genetics: Germplasm development with an aim to improve processing efficiency, quality, sensory characteristics and the development of novel ingredients.
- Crops: Technologies to measure and improve on-farm sustainability and information flow along the value chain.
- Ingredients: The development, scaling and optimization of plant-based ingredients.
- Products: The conversion of Canadian-made ingredients and co-products into consumption-ready goods.
EOIs will be accepted by consortiums of at least three partners, one of which must be an SME. Projects must include the use of a high-protein dryland crop such as lentils, peas, chickpeas, canola, fava, oat, flax, lupin or soy. Approved projects may receive up to 45 per cent reimbursement of eligible costs.
“We learnt a lot over the past four years about what the sector needs and how Protein Industries Canada can best help our members find success. Those learnings, such as an increased focus on commercialization at all points of the value chain, an increased emphasis on greening the economy and economic reconciliation, are all reflected in our new program guide,” Greuel said. “We are excited to have the opportunity to continue to work with our partners—new and returning—to advance innovation in Canada’s plant-based food and ingredient sector.”
Notable projects from Protein Industries Canada’s first round of co-investments include Wamame Foods’ plant-based Wagyu beef, which can now be found to JW Marriott Hotels and Sheraton Towers in Singapore, along with 7-Eleven stores here in Canada; New School Foods’ whole cut of plant-based salmon; Konscious Foods’ plant-based sushi and Big Mountain Foods’ new fava tofu. Each product was made with new ingredients whose development was led by companies such as Ingredion, AGT Food and Ingredients, Merit Functional Foods, Prairie Fava and Roquette.
Interested partners are encouraged to visit https://www.proteinindustriescanada.ca/technology and fill out the form. All interested consortiums will have an initial meeting with a member of the project team before filling out an EOI. A second round of EOIs will be announced soon.
About Protein Industries Canada
Protein Industries Canada is one of Canada’s five Global Innovation Clusters, with a mandate to advance innovation in plant-based food and ingredients while growing the Canadian ecosystem. In the first mandate which ran from 2018-2023, Protein Industries Canada co-invested $173 million into 55 projects. The initial investment leveraged $304 million in private investment, created 303 reported IP assets, helped companies leverage a further $234 million in follow-on investment, and is expected to contribute $15 billion in GDP and create 10,800 direct and indirect jobs by 2031 – meeting or surpassing every target set out by the program. In February 2023, Protein Industries Canada received a renewed mandate of another five years and $150 million.
