CAAIN 2024 Open Competition

Eligibility

• Project teams/networks must be comprised of organizations with operations in Canada. Teams/networks involving multiple stakeholders are encouraged. This may include academic/research institutions, not-for-profit organizations, for-profit entities (SMEs, MNEs), etc. International collaborations are encouraged; however, CAAIN funding can only flow to Canadian entities.
• Projects must include cash contributions from at least two small or medium enterprises (SME) incorporated in Canada. SMEs are defined by Statistics Canada as those with 499 or fewer employees and may be for-profit or not-for-profit entities.
• All project partners must be in good standing with CAAIN. This includes having no overdue reporting or monies owed to CAAIN.
• Proposal objectives must be consistent with those of CAAIN and of the ISED Strategic Innovation Fund Stream 4 (https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/125.nsf/eng/00007.html).
• The initiative must be incremental to the regular business of project team member organizations, meaning that: (i) financial commitments are distinct from investments that would otherwise occur; (ii) the project is new or would not be undertaken at the same scope or scale without the support of CAAIN funding.
• Project teams/networks commit to sharing widely the results of all technology assessments supported by CAAIN and uploading research and evaluation results onto a CAAIN-led or CAAIN-managed software platform.
• Project teams/networks commit to promoting the CAAIN brand in association with the smart farm or smart farm network.
• Former and current funding recipients of CAAIN are welcome to apply.

Summary

This program supports collaborative activities that will bridge the gap between the development of new innovations in agriculture and their adoption in the commercial space. The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) is seeking applications for research and innovation projects that:

• Advance the development, use, and value of automation and robotics in agri-food production and primary processing;
• Support the creation of data-based decision-making tools that can be applied to improve knowledge, reduce risk or optimize production; and/or
• Contribute to the implementation of a smart farm platform or smart farm networks to support technology adoption through fulsome integration of partners; creation frameworks for validation, demonstration and scaling; and training of a technologically proficient agricultural workforce. (see Appendix 1 of the Program Guide for a description of Smart Farms and Smart Farm Networks).

CAAIN will reimburse projects up to 40% of the Total Eligible Supported Expenses. All funded initiatives are subject to a 5% administration fee. CAAIN will match only unencumbered cash contributions to the project for eligible supported expenses. CAAIN will not match:

• Financial contributions from governmental sources (including post-secondary institutions)
• In-kind contributions (however, these are considered to be important indicators of team commitment and likelihood of success. Relevant contributions should be assessed at fair market value.)
• Future revenue associated with the outcomes of the project such as tax incentives associated with the project (e.g. Canadian SR&ED credits)
• The value of shares paid in lieu of cash contributions
• Revenue from sales of the project’s end-products
• Non-eligible contributions (see Appendix 4 of the Program Guide)

This program has an estimated initial start date for eligible activities of December 2024. Successful networks must complete all proposed activities no later than September 30, 2025 (with possible extension to September 30, 2026).

All proposals must:

• Be developing a digital technology or operating a Canadian smart farm focused on the production of a recognized agri-food product or addressing a specific Canadian agricultural challenge.
• Have available the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate and publicly report on the economic, social, and/or environmental benefits provided by the technology or knowledge being evaluated.
• Have interest in, and be capable of, empirically validating the use of the latest knowledge and emerging technology relevant to the proposed project, including an assessment of potential economic value.
• Commit to sharing high-quality, verifiable evaluations of emerging technologies with the agtech community.
• Commit to demonstrating the latest knowledge and emerging technology implemented or tested on the farm to Canadian agricultural producers, researchers and communities.
• Provide learning opportunities contributing to the development of a skilled workforce.
• Commit to sharing research and/or demonstration data using a common structured format with CAAIN. This data, when anonymized, will be owned by CAAIN.
• Commit to keeping resultant (foreground) IP and data in Canada for a minimum of 5 years.

Program Resources

• Program Guide
• Project Application Form (PAF)
• program contact: info@caain.ca

Submission Process

There is a three-stage process consisting of a Project Application Form (PAF), Expression of Intent (EOI), and Full Project Proposal (FPP), The Full Project Proposal stage will be part of the Research Management System (RMS), and approvals will be obtained electronically. Research Funding Application Approvals (RFAA) forms are not required as approvals are collected electronically in RMS.

This competition is comprised of three stages:

 1. Project Application Form (PAF)

CAAIN will accept early submissions of the PAF until August 9, 2024. Subsequent submissions will be accepted on a continuous basis thereafter.

No RMS record required for the PAF.

2. Expression of Interest (EOI) - by invitation

No RMS record required for the EOI. 

3. Full Project Proposal (FPP)

The Full Project Proposal, plus approval in the Research Management System (RMS) using a Pre-Award/Application record, must be submitted to RSO by at least 3 business days (at 12:00 pm) ahead of submission to the funding agency. Please be sure to select 'Submitted for approval' (under Save & Progress) in RMS in good time to allow for approvals from your Department Head and/or ADR prior to the RSO internal deadline. Consult your department and faculty for more information on their approval processes and timelines.

Please attach a copy of the PAF and EOI to the RMS record in addition to the complete FPP.

Do not submit to the agency until RSO's approval has been granted in RMS. Once this institutional approval has been obtained, the Principal Investigator will receive an automated message from RMS to their @ucalgary email address. You can then proceed with submitting your application to the funding agency.

Overhead

Indirect costs (IDC) must be included in the project budget in accordance with the Program Guide. The rate is 15% of the Total Eligible Costs. CAAIN is likely to provide a budget template that will automatically calculate the necessary totals.

The IDC calculation is based on the Total Eligible Costs for the project, which is the sum of the Direct Costs and 55% of the Direct Labour Costs.

• Total Eligible Costs = Direct costs (DC) + 55% Direct Labour
• IDC  = Total Eligible Costs x 15%

CAAIN will support 40% of the Total Eligible Support.

• Total Eligible Support = DC + IDC
• Total amount requested from CAAIN = (DC + IDC) x 40%
   

Application deadlines

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

RESOURCES 

Support for projects involving Indigenous Research: 

Support with the development of your grant application is available through the Indigenous Research Support Team (IRST). Applicants can reach out by email to IRST at IRST@ucalgary.ca in advance of the RSO internal deadline. For more information about IRST, please visit the IRST webpage. 

Support for Knowledge Engagement: 

Support for knowledge mobilization/engagement/translation, community partnerships, and responsible research assessment (DORA) is available through the Knowledge Engagement Team. Applicants can reach out by email to the KE team at knowledge.engagement@ucalgary.ca. For more information, please visit the KE team webpage. 

Support for Research Data Management: 

For information on research data management plans, processes, or best practices for your research program, please contact research.data@ucalgary.ca OR research.data@ucalgary.libanswers.com. 

Support for EDI in Research: 

RSO can provide resources and support to research teams on the integration of equitable and inclusive practices in research design and research practice. Contact Jaya.Dixit@ucalgary.ca for more information. 

Support for Research Security: 

The Research Security Division is available to assist researchers adhere to research security guidelines and policies, including the National Security Guidelines for Research Partnerships (NSGRP) and the new policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC). Visit the Research Security website to learn more or contact researchsecurity@ucalgary.ca.  

Reminder: The sooner the researcher engages with RSO units, the more help we can be! 

RMS: 

Creating a Pre-Award Application