Cleantech Commons Program Partner launches the Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub – businesses to be continuously supported at each stage of growth
“This exciting initiative is an important new element in our partnership with Bioenterprise”: Martin Yuill, Cleantech Commons executive director.
Cleantech Commons Program Partner, Bioenterprise Canada Corporation, has announced a collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) to support the delivery of the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) Commercialization Stream and the Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub.
For more about our value-adding program partnership, see Cleantech Commons and Bioenterprise partner to advance clean technology innovations and Accelerator services to be part of new cleantech research park.
The Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub provides support to innovative companies to advance more solutions and technologies to market by providing mentoring and advisory services in agri-food business acceleration, growth planning, and investment readiness, as well as to provide supports to businesses across the agri-food supply chain with respect to adoption of innovation. Interested? Apply here: bit.ly/3RaEvNV
“This exciting initiative is an important new element in our programming partnership with Bioenterprise and will further enable us to offer targeted business acceleration services to our clients in order to support the development of technologies that will help move us closer to a net-zero future and generate sustainable, high-value cleantech jobs for Canada,” Martin Yuill, Cleantech Commons executive director says.
“The Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub will ensure that businesses are continuously supported at each stage in their growth,” Dave Smardon, President and CEO of Bioenterprise Canada, told us.
The Commercialization Stream is designed to provide Ontario’s agriculture, agri-food, and agri-based products sectors, including technology or equipment suppliers, access to funding to support commercialization projects with a focus on Market Validation and Product Development activities. These efforts aim to enhance competitiveness and the leadership position of Ontario in the agriculture and agri-food sectors.
The Commercialization Stream will provide funding for two project types:
Project Type A: Market Validation Grants
Conduct market research to determine the size and quality of the market opportunity for a new and promising technology, product, or service with the goal of determining if there is any market potential before more research funds are spent on the technology. Funding Available: up to $30,000 per project
Project Type B: Product Development Grants
Create prototypes, perform field trials, remove any barriers to a market launch or private sector adoption and optimize a minimum viable product that best meets the needs of customers. Funding Available: $50,000-$150,000 per project
Both of these programs support outcomes of the province’s Grow Ontario strategy, which aims to increase the creation and adoption of innovative technologies to enhance competitiveness, grow market opportunities and strengthen the agri-food sector against future disruptions.
“The importance of programs such as the OAFRI Commercialization Stream cannot be understated when it comes to technology validation and market assessment. These projects and activities further de-risk new technology to encourage adoption, something Canada sorely needs in order to meet our economic and environmental potential as a world leader,” says Dave Smardon, President and CEO of Bioenterprise Canada.
Program Eligibility
Applicant organizations to OAFRI may include but are not limited to, for-profit and not-for-profit entities, government (except federal and provincial) and non-government organizations, universities and colleges, and research institutions based in Ontario.
Eligible organizations must be located in Ontario, have project activities and costs that take place in Ontario, develop projects that address OMAFRA’s key research priority areas and initiative objectives, be operating in the agriculture, agri-food, and agri-based products sector, and must have a product/technology/service that is unique to Ontario.
Intake
The intake for OAFRI formally opens Thursday, November 2nd, 2023, including a webpage with full program details, a Call for Proposals document, and information on how to apply.
Virtual Information Session Details
Description: A virtual event with OMAFRA outlining the objectives, important deadlines, and application processes for the different OAFRI Streams. Join us to learn more and for a Q&A with the program administrators.
Date: Tuesday, November 14, 2023 – 2pm EST
About Bioenterprise Canada
Bioenterprise is Canada’s Food & Agri-Tech Engine, a national agri-technology focused commercialization accelerator. Bioenterprise uses its 20 years of industry experience and a global network of experts, mentors, funders, researchers, and industry partners to help small and medium-sized agri-food businesses connect, innovate and grow.