CFIN – FoodTech Next Program

Amount of Funding

Successful applicants for this program may be eligible for the following funding allotments:

• Non-repayable contribution of 50% of total eligible project costs to a maximum of $250,000

• Total eligible project costs must be between $200,000 and $500,000

• CFIN will require a non-refundable project management fee of 5% of total project costs eligible for CFIN funding.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible (lead) applicants must:

• Be submitted by Canadian incorporated businesses with less than $1M in annual sales in their most recently completed fiscal year

• Not have other active CFIN-funded projects (approved projects with a signed Master Project Agreement and who have yet to submit their final report)

• have a potential customer, or a good idea of their ideal customer who can validate that the proposed technology solves a market issue, and the project partner must be willing to prove the solution in the market or industry setting.

• Be undertaken by a CFIN member. Membership is free and can be applied for through

  www.cfin-rcia.ca

  .

Lead Applicants are technology or software developers who, own or will create intellectual property to be demonstrated or piloted through the project.

Project Partners, most likely to be food sector players, are required to ensure pilots and demonstrations take place in operational environments.

Eligible Activities

All projects must have alignment under at least one of the following CFIN’s innovation priority:

Smart Product and Process Development, which includes development and innovation in the areas of:

• health, nutrition & wellness benefits;

• new robotics applications to increase productivity and food safety

• AI, sensors, machine learning, and more

Food Ecosystem Sustainability, which includes development and innovation in the areas of:

• food waste reduction;

• higher value recovery;

• green and smart packaging and more

Agile and Safe Supply Chains, which include development and innovation in the areas of:

• Logistics and supply chain;

• Consumer and customer analytics;

• Food safety and more

Applicants must propose to demonstrate new industry processes, new product categories, new knowledge, or a new application of science. Projects must:

• Address an area of the post-farmgate supply chain (cannot focus on agricultural production activities) ;

• Identify a specific piloting or demonstration opportunity for a technology or solution that has yet to be commercialized;

• Conduct research and development at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3 to 7

Eligible Costs Categories include:

• Direct Labour

• Subcontractors and Consultants

• Direct materials

• Equipment

• Land, Building, and Building Improvement

• Other Direct Costs

Program Deadline

Speak with a member of our team to find the latest intake period info for this program.