Protein Industries Canada (PIC) – Capacity Building Program

ByMaurice

Description:

The Capacity Building Program is focused on advancing Canada’s agrifood sector and creating a competitive and sustainable global business environment, while incenting new approaches to doing business and removing barriers to growth.

Capacity Building projects are focused on benefitting the whole industry, bringing lasting value to the sector. Projects under Capacity Building can be led by non-profits and academia, although industry-dollar contribution is also part of the selection criteria. The projects must benefit the whole industry and not duplicate existing efforts.

Eligibility:

For a project to be considered eligible for co-investment, it must:

  • Be submitted by a minimum of two project partners (consortium), all of whom must be PIC members.
  • Non-Canadian entities can participate in a consortium, based on approval by Protein Industries Canada.
  • Each member of the consortium must contribute to the project in a meaningful way.
  • All organizations listed on the proposal should be aware and agree to their inclusion in the submission.
  • The initiative must be incremental to the regular business undertakings of the participating organizations, in that the project is new, would not be possible without participation of consortium partners, or would not have been undertaken at the same scope or scale without the co-investment provided by the Supercluster.
  • Projects that build and expand linkages beyond Supercluster participants and leverage existing assets (capabilities, talent, infrastructure) are strongly encouraged, bringing relevant impact to the whole ecosystem.
  • The project must be aligned with Protein Industries Canada’s objectives, PIC’s Capacity Building Priorities and their outcomes.
  • Projects in which industry dollars are invested will be scored higher. It will be up to the consortium members to determine the amount and nature of their respective contributions. The contribution of each consortium member does not need to be equal.
  • Projects that include Indigenous and/or other under-represented populations will be scored higher.
  • Projects that involve SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises) and/or bring clear benefits to SMEs will be scored higher.

PIC members:

  • Industry members: all Canadian companies, Canadian subsidiaries, or foreign companies that are for-profit businesses whose primary business is the agriculture and/or agri-food industry. Companies that provide financial investment, products or services to the industry, or use products and services from the industry are also eligible to be Members of PIC. Industry members are eligible to submit a project application and be a part of a project consortia.
  • Non-voting members: governments, associations, economic development organizations, business accelerators, not-for-profit entities, universities, colleges, research/technology centres, and other professional firms, banks, consultants. Non‑Voting Members may be a part of a project consortia and contribute to a project but cannot be the lead applicant.

Other Things to Note:

  1. PIC is an industry-led, not-for-profit, value-chain consortium created to position Canada as a global source of high‑quality plant protein and plant-based co-products. PIC will build on Canada’s strengths to substantially increase global market share in novel protein (and co-product) fractions, ingredients, food and feed products, and technologies, contributing to Canada’s economic growth and international trade balance. This will occur by mobilizing and enhancing Canada’s agri-food innovation capacity in support of industry driven market priorities and needs.
  2. Projects may be of one or two years or be completed before March 31, 2023. We encourage project proponents to consider multi-year projects in their proposal.
  3. The Capacity Building strategy will support growth and help build capability in the sector and strengthen our ecosystem in seven key priority areas: Labour, Skills and Access to Talent; Regulatory Modernization; Data and ICT Management; Intellectual Property Literacy; Infrastructure; Access to Capital; and Global Brand and International Engagement.

Program Contact:

Capacity Building Program

About the author

Maurice

Maurice (Moe) Muise learned the ins-and-outs of government while an employee of the Government of Canada in Ottawa for 10 years. His current focus is helping small businesses in Ontario to identify and maximize government grants to grow their business. Click here to learn more about Moe’s background and how he can help your business.

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