How much funding can be received?

Funds up to 40% of admissible expenses, capped at $1500000 per project.

What is the deadline to apply?

The deadline to apply is not specified.

Who are the financial supporters of the InnoFood — Food innovations for a sustainable future?

InnoFood — Food innovations for a sustainable future is funded by Consortium de recherche et d'innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec (CRIBIQ)

What are InnoFood — Food innovations for a sustainable future's eligibility criterias?

The applicant must be a Quebec public research institute (IRPQ) or an innovative company operating in the food industry sector. Each project requires the participation of at least one company or industry association. Large companies can be part of a PME project given they contribute significant economic impact for the PME and the project is primarily conducted by the PME.

InnoFood — Food innovations for a sustainable future

Last Update: July 22, 2025

QC, Canada

Supporting sustainable food innovation and ecological resource use

InnoFood — Food innovations for a sustainable future at a glance

Eligible Funding

Max. $1,500,000
Up to 40% of project cost

Timeline

Continuous Intakes

Financing Type

Grant and Funding

Eligible Industries

Manufacturing

Grant Providers

Consortium de recherche et d'innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec (CRIBIQ)

Program status

Open

Overview of the InnoFood — Food innovations for a sustainable future program

The InnoFood grant, supported by the Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie du Québec, offers up to $500,000 per year to foster food innovations for a sustainable future. It targets projects focused on plant-based foods, alternative proteins, and innovative technologies within Quebec's food industry.

Financing terms and conditions

Industrial contributions for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are a minimum of 20% in cash, with CRIBIQ and other public contributors providing up to 40% each.
For large enterprises, a minimum of 40% contribution is required, of which 50% can be in-kind, with CRIBIQ covering up to 20% and other public bodies up to 40%.
Projects that demonstrate high commercialization potential and are more than 75% complete are eligible for an additional $20,000 from CRIBIQ for a technical-economic or feasibility study.
The maximum grant amount is $500,000 per year, not exceeding $1,500,000 over three years, subject to the budget allocated by the Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie du Québec (MEIE).
Funding is contingent on MEIE’s allocated budget and there are no guarantees of grant acquisition.
Industrial contributions must not originate from governmental aid.
Indirect research expenses for universities, covered by MEIE, are 27% of CRIBIQ's contributions to eligible expenses.
A 5% project management fee, plus taxes, will be deducted from the CRIBIQ contribution.

Eligible projects & activities

Development of plant-based foods.
Creation of alternatives to animal-based products.
Research on alternative proteins.
Advancement in personalized nutrition.
Innovations in precision fermentation.
Applications of precision agriculture.
Design of future food packaging.
Development of functional ingredients.
Integration of innovative technologies such as 3D food printing.

Examples of admissible projects:

$ 50,000

Implement solar panels for community hall energy efficiency

Eligibility criteria of the InnoFood — Food innovations for a sustainable future program

The applicant must be a Quebec public research institute (IRPQ) or an innovative company located in Quebec.
Projects must include a minimum of one company or industrial association.
A large company can participate in a project led by a small or medium enterprise (SME) only if it results in significant economic benefits for the SME.
The industrial contribution must not come from government aid.
Companies with 25 or more employees must provide a copy of the francization certificate or related attestation documents.
Companies operating in Quebec must have a French website; this requirement does not apply to international partners.
Applicants must be members in good standing of the CRIBIQ consortium at the time of detailed application submission.

Who is eligible?

Quebec public research institutes (IRPQ)
Innovative companies operating in the Quebec food industry

Eligible expenses

Salaries and benefits for staff involved in the project, excluding university professors and college teachers already funded by their institution or a governmental agency.
Scholarships for students or postdoctoral fellows (minimum 20% of the budget).
Materials including laboratory equipment, consumables, and supplies (equipment expenses are not eligible).
Purchase or rental of equipment, with costs representing a maximum of 25% of total eligible expenses and not exceeding $25,000 per item before tax.
Animal facility and platform fees.
Travel and accommodation expenses in accordance with the Quebec Treasury Board standards.
Management and exploitation costs for intellectual property.
Professional fees for contracts and subcontracting incurred by a Quebec public research institute (IRPQ), subject to a maximum of 10% of the total budget, not exceeding $25,000.
CRIBIQ management fees (5% of the total project cost, excluding taxes).

Eligible geographic areas

Quebec, Canada

Eligibility criteria of the InnoFood — Food innovations for a sustainable future program

Innovative nature or innovation potential compared to the state of the art (eliminatory criterion).
Quality of the management team, including alignment between scientific expertise and the needs of the involved companies.
Potential benefits for each industrial partner involved.
Collaboration and active role of the industrial partners.
Scientific quality of the project.
Level of excellence or expertise of the academic teams involved in line with the project's execution.
Scientific or technical feasibility of the project.
Organisation of the project, including definition of stages, deliverables, and milestone identification.
Potential use or integration of project results by the industrial partners (eliminatory criterion).
Economic and commercial application potential or competitive advantages.
Realism of the timeline.
Justification of the financial planning in line with the expenses.
Training of qualified personnel, such as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, technicians, interns, etc., and involvement of personnel in technology transfer.

How to apply to the InnoFood — Food innovations for a sustainable future program

Verification of eligibility

Consult the applicant guide to understand the criteria and check if your project is eligible.
Contact Ms. Laila Ben Said, Director of Innovation - Biofood, to validate the project's eligibility.

Submission of the Letter of Intent and Preliminary Budget

Prepare and finalize the Letter of Intent and the Preliminary Budget.
Submit these documents via the prescribed means before the deadline of May 21, 2025.

Preparation of the detailed request

Develop the detailed request including all required elements such as methodology, deliverables, etc.
Gather the necessary documents to support the detailed request.

Submission of the detailed request

Transmit the detailed request and all supporting documents to the organization before July 10, 2025.
Use the submission channel specified by the funding organization.

Additional information

The maximum grant funding is $500,000 per year, with a total maximum of $1,500,000 over three years, including funds from the MEIE.
If a project is more than 75% complete and shows strong commercialization potential, additional funding of $20,000 may be granted by CRIBIQ for a technical-economic or feasibility study.
A minimum of 20% of the budget must be allocated to the training of students or postdoctoral researchers.
Projects led by SMEs require an industrial contribution of at least 20%, while large enterprises must contribute at least 40%, with up to half being in-kind contributions.
CRIBIQ members need to have settled their membership fees before submitting the Detailed Application.
Industrial partners from outside Quebec can participate as a second enterprise in the project.
The financial contribution of industrial partners to CRIBIQ management costs is considered non-eligible by certain complementary funding organizations, such as CRSNG.
Large enterprises can be part of an SME project only if the economic benefits are significant for the SME.
A website in French is required for companies operating in Quebec, except for international partners.