Alberta Innovates — Agriculture & Food Innovation
Eligibility & Details
What this program funds and who can apply
Program Description
Funds applied research and technology development (TRL 3-7) for agricultural productivity, food innovation, sustainable ag-tech, and climate-smart agriculture. Up to $750K per project at 50% cost-sharing. Continuous intake year-round via SmartSimple portal. Non-AB applicants eligible if demonstrating Alberta value.
Eligibility Requirements
- SMEs (<500 employees, <$50M revenue), post-secondary, industry associations, municipalities, non-profits, government labs, individuals
- Must demonstrate clear value proposition for Alberta
- Project at TRL 3-7
- Applied research or technology development focus
- No bad debts with Alberta Innovates
Quick Assessment
Funding Details
- Amount
- Up to $750,000 (50% of eligible costs)
- Type
- Grant
- Level
- Provincial
- Co-Funding
- Up to 50% of eligible costs
- Deadline
- Ongoing
Program Scorecard
Competition, effort, and approval at a glance
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How to Win
Insider tips, common pitfalls, and what successful applicants look like
Insider TipContact an Agriculture & Environment Project Advisor before submitting EOI. 50% match can include in-kind (staff time, equipment). Projects with confirmed end-user partnerships score significantly higher. Also check Agriculture Funding Consortium annual competitions.
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Success Profile
Alberta-focused SME or research org with TRL 3-7 ag/food innovation project, confirmed end-user, available co-investment.
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Evaluation Criteria
Three-category evaluation: Innovation (novelty, alignment with program priorities, TRL positioning, end-user identification), Execution (team credentials, work plan clarity, milestone realism, budget credibility), and Impacts (Alberta value proposition, commercialization pathway, environmental/economic/social outcomes). External subject-matter experts supplement internal review.
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Application Playbook
Step-by-step process, required documents, and expenses
Application Steps
Required Documents 6
Eligible Expenses 9
- Direct R&D personnel salaries, wages, and benefits
- Field trial and demonstration costs including equipment rental
- Laboratory materials and consumables
- Contract research and technical advisory services (arm's length)
- Travel directly required for project activities (not conferences)
- Prototype construction and testing
- Data collection and analysis
- Regulatory compliance testing during R&D phase
- In-kind contributions valued at fair market value (equipment, facilities, expert time)
Ineligible Expenses 8
- Costs incurred before the Investment Agreement is signed
- Costs greater than fair market value
- Transactions between non-arm's-length parties without pre-approval
- Land acquisition or permanent infrastructure construction
- Commercial-scale production runs (TRL 8+ activities)
- Academic conference travel
- Overhead and indirect costs charged to Alberta Innovates funding
- Salaries of individuals not directly contributing to project technical work
Intake Periods
Continuous intake (rolling) via SmartSimple year-round. Periodic calls for proposals (competitions) also issued with specific themes and deadlines. Check albertainnovates.ca/funding/agriculture-environment-program/ for active competitions.
Deadline Notes
Continuous intake via SmartSimple. Start with EOI, then invited to full proposal. Additional competitions run through Agriculture Funding Consortium.
Open Application Portal →Ineligible Organizations
- Applicants with outstanding bad debts with Alberta Innovates
- Organizations proposing projects at TRL 1–2 (basic research) or TRL 8–9 (commercial scale-up)
- Non-AB applicants without a demonstrable Alberta value proposition
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Funding Stack Strategy
Compatible programs, clawback risk, and combined funding potential
Compatible Programs
Clawback Risk
Medium RiskModerate. Any funds used for ineligible expenses are immediately recoverable as debt. Early project termination requires return of unspent funds. Alberta Innovates may also recover funds for activities outside the approved Investment Agreement scope.
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How Alberta Innovates — Agricul... Compares
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