Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn says a total of $16.3 million in Federal-Provincial funding will go to support 101 research and innovation projects.
Projects being funded vary.
"There's always an interesting component about new seed varieties possibly and actually opportunities of fertilizer. We work a lot with the university as you know, and I think those are a lot of projects that are being done right now at the university along with other agencies."
He notes with the rapid changes we're seeing in agriculture and technology it's important to be involved and Manitoba researchers are leading the way.
The funding will go towards research and capacity building to accelerate innovation in agriculture, supporting companies that are leading innovative research and putting Manitoba at the forefront of sustainable agriculture research.
Kostyshyn says some of the projects are directly related to healthcare with the St. Boniface Hospital researching navy beans and their effect on reducing fat and increasing muscle. The University of Manitoba is looking at the added value of canola protein, while the Seven Oaks Hospital is researching plant-based meal replacement products for addressing diabetes and weight loss.
Dr. Martin Scanlon, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences says researchers at the University of Manitoba welcome this valuable support to develop sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural systems and tools that will benefit producers and consumers.
A call for letters of intent under the Research and Innovation Program is now being accepted for the Spring of 2025.
The Research and Innovation program is open to:
Agri-processors
Indigenous Government/Indigenous individuals, businesses, communities, and organizations, other Indigenous groups undertaking agricultural initiatives.
Industry Organizations
Primary Producers
Research Institutions
Service Providers
All applicants who identify as a researcher (including academic institutions) or a Government of Canada department or agency will be required to identify at least one non-researcher, non-government co-applicant to be eligible for funding. In that case, the co-applicant must be either a primary producer, an agri-processor, an industry organization or a service provider (non-research).
The intake for this program is currently open; funding requests for projects starting on April 1, 2025, will be accepted from now through April 25, 2024.
More details on the program and how to apply can be found here.