British Columbia is emerging as a national leader for innovative technology development within the agricultural industry. To stimulate this growth, the federal and B.C. provincial government have partnered to provide grants to businesses, industry associations, and non-profits who are commercializing or adopting innovative products, processes, or technologies for use in the agri-food industry.
The Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program is an initiative that was created from the popular Growing Forward 2 funding framework. The program typically provides up to 50% of project costs, with highly innovative projects receiving up to 100% of expenses, in the form of BC government grants. Applicants must support the remaining project costs from internal financing.
Applicants should propose a project that advances their innovative capacity and competitiveness within the agricultural or agri-food sectors. Funding has been depleted for research and development projects, however technology piloting, demonstration, commercialization, and adoption projects may still be funded.
Growing Forward 2 BC Agri-Innovation Program Details
Applicants of the Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program may receive up to 50-100% of expenses for a variety of agricultural technology development and commercialization projects. To determine if you are a good fit for the program, consider the following program details.
Applicant Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants must be incorporated in British Columbia or have a head office within the province and be a:
- Agri-food sector producer or processor;
- Retail or food service business;
- Non-profit organization;
- Industry association; or
- Academic institution.
Project Eligibility Criteria
Projects that advance the competitiveness or innovation of British Columbia’s agriculture or agri-food industry are a good fit for the program. In addition, projects must fit into one of the program’s five priority areas, which include:
- Energy and Waste Management;
- Climate Change Adaptation;
- Air, Water, and Soil Quality Improvements;
- Plant, Animal, and Food Science Improvements; and
- New Product Development and Commercialization.
How to Apply for GF2 BC Agri-Innovation Grants
Applications are currently being accepted for the British Columbia Agri-Innovation program, however the program ends on March 31, 2018 and requires all projects to be finished prior to December 2017.
Agri-Innovation British Columbia government funding applications start at 11 pages in length and can grow depending on the innovative project being proposed.
To confirm your business’ eligibility for the Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program, please contact Mentor Works, the Canadian Government Funding Planners. In addition to ensuring your project’s eligibility, we also provide unparalleled application support services to increase your probability of success while reducing the amount of time required to apply.
Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program: Successful Projects
There are a variety of British Columbian businesses and organizations who have already been approved for government grants through the Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program. They include:
- Nova-BioRubber Green Technologies Inc. were awarded with up to $125,000 for demonstrating a feasible new cash crop, Taraxacum kok-saghyz (TKS). TKS can be processed to extract rubber and inulin, both having a variety of uses.
- Kalala Organic Vinyards Ltd. received up to $4,300 to research the benefits of spraying crops with Humic acid (HA). The results showed that treating plants with HA increased the production of crops with less contamination from mold.
- BC Cranberry Marketing Association has submitted several successful Agri-Innovation applications which resulted in projects such as Assessing New Pest Management Tools for BC’s Cranberry Industry ($8,400), Exploring Foliar Cranberry Pest Control with a New Natural Pesticide ($2,500), and Demonstration of Bumble Bee & Indicator Plant Gardens ($3,000).
Recent Growing Forward 2 Government Grants News:
- Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance Awarded $331k in Funding for Agriculture
- Growing Forward 2 (GF2) Invests $180k in 4 Ontario Food Processors
- Canadian Agricultural Partnership Grants for Ontario Food Processors
- Growing Forward 2 (GF2) Invests over $250k in Agri-Food Businesses
- Get Ready for the Canadian Agricultural Partnership