$15 Million Call for Research Projects to Advance Farm Technologies

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, October 29, 2020 – The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) is announcing its first open call for research and innovation projects to accelerate the adoption of smart agriculture practices in Canada.

Around the world, technologies like advanced sensors, imaging, remote monitoring, automation, robotics, artificial intelligence and blockchain are changing the face of modern farming.

Canada is becoming a global leader in advanced and emerging technologies for food and agriculture, thanks to a partnership between the federal government, Alberta Innovates, and a host of colleges, research institutions, large companies and small enterprises across the country.

CAAIN was launched in July 2019 with a mandate to bring together technology and agri-food companies to create new solutions that improve competitiveness, drive growth in both sectors and create jobs. The network was created in response to a call for funding proposals in automation and digital technologies in the agriculture and agri-food sector under the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund collaborations and networks competition. Eight core partners across five provinces came together with the mission to create technological solutions for the most challenging problems facing Canada’s agri-food sector.

CAAIN’s core partners Alberta Innovates, the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, Olds College, MDA Systems Ltd., Linamar Corp., Lakeland College, DOT Technology Corporation, and TrustBIX along with other private businesses and research institutions share in the $49.5 million contribution from the Strategic Innovation Fund.