How much funding can be received?

Funds up to 45% of admissible expenses.

What is the deadline to apply?

The deadline to apply is 2025-01-16T00:00:00Z.

Who are the financial supporters of the Protein Industries Canada — Technology Leadership?

Protein Industries Canada — Technology Leadership is funded by Protein Industries Canada

What are Protein Industries Canada — Technology Leadership's eligibility criterias?

The project must be submitted by a consortium of at least two Protein Industries Canada members, with at least one being a Small or Medium Enterprise (SME) as defined by Statistics Canada (499 or fewer employees). At least two partners in the consortium must be Canadian companies or multinational corporations legally entitled to do business in Canada with a significant Canadian business operation. Each member of the consortium must make a meaningful contribution to the project, and at least two members must contribute financially.

Protein Industries Canada — Technology Leadership

Last Update: April 18, 2025

Canada

Funding for collaborative projects on plant protein

Protein Industries Canada — Technology Leadership at a glance

Eligible Funding

Up to 45% of project cost

Timeline

Closing date : January 16, 2025

Financing Type

Grant and Funding

Eligible Industries

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting
Manufacturing

Grant Providers

Protein Industries Canada

Status

Open

Overview of the Protein Industries Canada — Technology Leadership program

Get a grant to cover up to 45% of eligible expenses for a collaborative project focused on genetics, crops, ingredients and products. Collaborators must be Protein Industries Canada members, with annual membership fees of $500.

Financing terms and conditions

Co-funding can reach up to 45 % of the eligible costs of approved projects, depending on the contribution determined by the program objectives and alignment with strategic priorities.
No maximum amount limit per project is defined; however, the contribution from Protein Industries Canada cannot exceed 45 % of the eligible costs.

Eligible projects & activities

Germplasm development aimed at improving processing efficiency, quality, sensory characteristics, and the development of novel plant-based ingredients.
Implementation of technologies to measure and enhance on-farm sustainability and facilitate information flow along the value chain.
Development, scaling, and optimization of plant-based ingredients, including innovative manufacturing processes and co-products from Canadian crops.
Conversion of Canadian-made ingredients and co-products into consumer-ready food products, value-added animal feed, and new industrial bio-products derived from the co-products of protein extraction and ingredient manufacturing.
Proof of concept projects demonstrating feasibility at pilot scale for new technologies expected to be commercialized within three to five years.
Projects enabling the first commercial deployment of a technology to assess technical, economic, and commercial feasibility.
Projects facilitating the optimization and deployment of commercially viable technology for Canadian crops and agricultural conditions.

Examples of admissible projects:

$ 270,000

Developing a circular economy system for plant-based co-products

$ 450,000

Scaling plant-based protein extraction technology for commercial deployment

$ 360,000

Conversion of Canadian-grown pulses into ready-to-eat snacks

$ 180,000

Engaging Indigenous communities in the plant-based value chain

$ 337,500

Development of technology to measure and improve on-farm sustainability

Eligibility criteria of the Protein Industries Canada — Technology Leadership program

The application must be submitted by a consortium of at least two Protein Industries Canada members, ideally three or more, with at least one member being a Small or Medium Enterprise (SME) defined by Statistics Canada (499 or fewer employees).
The consortium may include academic or research institutions, though this is not mandatory.
Each member of the consortium must contribute meaningfully to the project, which can include financial commitment, providing intellectual property, or market expertise.
At least two consortium members must contribute financially to the project.
At least two partners must be Canadian companies or multi-national corporations legally entitled to do business in Canada with a significant Canadian business operation; non-Canadian entities may participate with approval.
The project must be aligned with the objectives of Protein Industries Canada and the Global Innovation Cluster initiative.
The project must be incremental to regular business activities, meaning it would not occur at the same scope or scale without this funding and the participation of consortium partners.
At least one consortium member should represent a target customer or user of the new technology solution.
The project team must demonstrate proven capability to manage complex, multi-party collaborative initiatives.
All Ultimate Recipients must comply with Canadian economic or financial sanctions or trade embargoes.
The project must not be a “designated project” under federal environmental and impact assessment legislation.
The project must pay a 4% administration fee to Protein Industries Canada, calculated on total eligible reconciled project costs (max twice the PIC contribution).

Who is eligible?

Canadian companies involved in the plant-based food, feed, and ingredients value chain
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with 499 or fewer employees
Multi-national corporations with significant business operations in Canada
Academic or research institutions (membership encouraged but not mandatory)
Non-Canadian entities (may participate with approval)

Who is not eligible

Companies that are not compliant with economic or financial sanctions or trade embargoes imposed, administered or enforced by the Government of Canada.
Projects that are considered a “designated project” or a “project” under the applicable federal environmental and impact assessment legislation.

Eligible expenses

Project expenses directly related to approved activities under Genetics, Crops, Ingredients, and Products areas.
Costs associated with testing and scaling of ingredient manufacturing processes.
Expenses for the development of new and novel plant-based ingredients and co-products.
Costs for the creation and commercialization of consumer-ready food products, animal feed, and industrial bio-products derived from plant-based co-products.
Expenditures related to the measurement, verification, and reporting of traceability, sustainability, and food safety of Canadian crops and ingredients.

Eligible geographic areas

Canada
United Kingdom (for joint projects with Innovate UK, with specific partnership requirements)

Eligibility criteria of the Protein Industries Canada — Technology Leadership program

Ecosystem Development: Evaluation of how the project will contribute to the development of the plant-based food and ingredient ecosystem in Canada.
Technical Merit: Assessment of the technical soundness, innovation, and scientific basis of the project.
Commercial Application: Consideration of the project's potential for commercialization, including scalability and expected market impact.
Alignment with Priority Areas: Alignment of project outcomes with program priority areas (Genetics, Crops, Ingredients, Products) and Global Innovation Cluster objectives.
Potential for Transformation: Degree to which the project can deliver transformative impacts on the sector.
Milestones in Sustainability: Emphasis on advancements in environmental sustainability.
Economic Reconciliation: Extent to which the project incorporates meaningful participation or benefits for Indigenous Peoples and under-represented groups.
Commercialization Potential: Likelihood that the project will reach product commercialization within the planned timeframe.
Strength of Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy: Quality and clarity of the IP rationale and management plan.
Data and Data Governance Strategy: Robustness of the project's strategy for data management, sharing, and governance.

How to apply to the Protein Industries Canada — Technology Leadership program

Preliminary Contact

Email projects@proteinsupercluster.ca to set up an introductory call.

Expression of Interest (EOI)

Review the Project Eligibility Requirements.
Complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) form collaboratively with consortium members.
Ensure each consortium member fills out and signs a "Declaration As To Authorization and Compliance".
Submit the EOI and Declaration forms to projects@proteinsupercluster.ca.

EOI Evaluation

Wait for Protein Industries Canada to evaluate the EOI.
Receive one of three outcomes: invitation to proceed to a full proposal, request for additional information, or decline of EOI.

Full Project Proposal

If invited, participate in a kick-off meeting via conference call.
Develop the full Project Proposal collaboratively with consortium members and Protein Industries Canada staff.
Prepare the proposal using provided Word (limit of 50 pages) and Excel templates.
Submit both parts of the application along with an initial financial assessment to Protein Industries Canada.

Proposal Evaluation and Decision

Wait for Protein Industries Canada to initiate a review of the Project Proposal.
Undergo evaluation by the Project Selection Committee.

Project Approval

If approved, work with Protein Industries Canada to sign a Master Project Agreement (MPA).
Complete a detailed financial assessment as requested by Protein Industries Canada.
Begin reimbursement of eligible costs upon signing the MPA.

Additional information

Here are additional relevant details for this grant:

Regular collaboration with Protein Industries Canada staff is encouraged throughout the proposal development process to ensure project success.
All proposals must incorporate economic reconciliation measures with Indigenous communities.
Projects should include a strategic plan for Intellectual Property and data governance.
Once approved, a Master Project Agreement must be signed before eligible cost reimbursement can commence.
Joint projects with Innovate UK must be completed by March 31, 2026.
Innovate UK collaborators are required to obtain membership in Protein Industries Canada to participate.
An economic and financial compliance audit by the Government of Canada is mandatory for all consortium members.
Consortiums need to prepare a detailed budget with clearly broken down annual expenses for multi-year projects.

Documents and links

Protein Industries Canada — Technology Leadership

Contact Protein Industries Canada

projects@proteinsupercluster.ca

Apply to this program

Incentivize Canadian companies to invest in clean technology