Deadline: 8 April 2020
The George Weston Limited and Loblaw Companies Limited are seeking applications to provide seed funding for research or technology development that help accelerate solutions to sustainable food challenges.
Projects should focus on the intensification of the production of food in ways that are sustainable: environmentally, economically and culturally. Research outcomes should be highly innovative and impact primarily Canadians, but also deliver key learnings towards issues of global concern.
Goal
To provide seed funding for innovative transdisciplinary research whose goal is to safely increase the production of nutritious food and other agricultural products, that will feed the growing population in ways that are environmentally, economically as well as culturally sustainable.
Funding Information
The Companies will commit up to approximately $1.5 million to fund projects selected through this Program and application process provided that the Companies receive a sufficient number of high-quality applications.
Funds available per project:
- Up to $250,000 per project to be deployed over a duration of up to 24 months.
- Funds will be granted only for direct costs that are appropriate and justifiable for the work proposed.
- Each item and its cost must be clearly described in the full Proposal budget.
- Funds cannot be used for large equipment purchases, computer purchases, administrative costs or indirect costs.
- Travel expenses to conferences/meetings to present research funded by the Companies may be included in the budget.
- The total value of funding awarded to a successful project may be less than the original requested budget.
- Up to 35% of the funds can be used to bring unique international resources into Canadian-led work.
Eligible Project
- Projects need to be focused on the safe and sustainable intensification of the food production system (e.g. Sustainable Agriculture or Aquaculture; Soil Microbiome; Food Safety).
- Projects must demonstrate meaningful research partnerships and/or collaborations, with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 10 additional collaborators, beyond the Principal Applicant.
- Potential partnerships might include different academic institutions/schools; not-for-profit organizations; public and private organizations or any combination of these.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Companies are only able to accept Letters of Intent (“LOI”) and Proposals from institutions (or individuals affiliated with and applying through or on behalf of institutions) that are Canada Revenue Agency qualified donees in Canada. Funds can also be used to support the Canadian portion of collaborations with members from other geographies.
- One of the priorities of this funding opportunity is to encourage and foster interdisciplinary research partnerships. As such, you must include one or more team members from other partner organization(s). Partnerships might include academic institutions/schools, not-for-profit organizations, public or private sector organizations or any combination of these.
- Up to 10 team members may be added to each project. Applicants must explain the role and expertise of each team member and include a description of any cash/in-kind contributions from any non-academic partners. Interdisciplinarity is generally viewed as an asset. All applications will be judged on the meaningfulness and appropriateness of the partnerships.
- A LOI submitted pursuant to this Program does not need to be approved by the relevant institution on whose behalf or through which the LOI is being submitted. However, any Proposal submitted pursuant to this Program must be approved by the institution on whose behalf or through which the Proposal is being submitted.
For more information, visit http://www.weston.ca/en/Research-Grants.aspx