Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) – Smart Farms Program

Receive up to $3 Million in Grant Funding.

The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) – Smart Farms Program provides help for convergence of agriculture, equipment manufacturing and technology into real-world application. The goal of this funding is to support research and development to accelerate the automation and robotics in Canada’s agriculture sector.

Funding Amount

CAAIN will reimburse projects up to 40% of the Total Eligible Supported Expenses, to a maximum of $3 Million.

Eligible Applicants

Must include at least two small or medium enterprises (SME) incorporated in Canada. SMEs are defined by Statistics Canada as businesses with 499 or fewer employees.

Eligible Activities

Test and validate new agricultural technologies in Canada under operational conditions. Demonstrate applications of technology to local producers, consultants, vendors, investors, etc.

Deadline to Apply

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis, with an invitation from EOI to full application occurring once per quarter.

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Smart Farms Program

Amount of Funding

CAAIN will reimburse projects up to 40% of the Total Eligible Supported Expenses, to a maximum of $3 Million.

Smart Farms Program

Eligible Applicants

Must include at least two small or medium enterprises (SME) incorporated in Canada. SMEs are defined by Statistics Canada as businesses with 499 or fewer employees.
A financial (cash) contribution must be committed by at least two SMEs from the project team. Financial contributions may also come from MNEs (multinational enterprise) or not-for-profit organizations in order to achieve the minimum 60% industry cash contribution.
- All funded projects are required to pay CAAIN administration fee equal to 4% of the total eligible supported expenses. These fees will be deducted from each approved claim prior to reimbursement to the Project Lead.

Smart Farms Program

Eligible Activities

Activities may be eligible for partnerships that:

Test and validate new agricultural technologies in Canada under operational conditions.
Demonstrate applications of technology to local producers, consultants, vendors, investors, etc.
Educate and train the skilled workforce needed to use, maintain and extend the technologies.
Further the development of smart farm technologies to accelerate automation and robotics in the agricultural sector.

Eligible Expenses for Canadian Government Funding

Smart Farms Program

Program Deadline

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis, with an invitation from EOI to full application occurring once per quarter. Projects can begin after approval notice and the maximum project length is 3 years.