Who Can Apply
Learn about the organizations and type of projects we support.
Innovative Teams, Innovative Ideas
Based on a co-creation model, all projects are managed collaboratively and supported by a project management team. In order to engage the Centre, companies must meet the following criteria:
Eligible Organizations
Organizations must:
- Be private corporations, incorporated and headquartered in British Columbia.
- Have up to 499 employees.
- Be in operation for at least 2 years.
- Have a clear plan to scale-up their business.
- Be able to contribute a cash investment between $25,000 to $250,000.
Eligible Projects
Eligible organizations must meet the following criteria:
- Create products or services in the areas of agriculture, agri-technology and agri-foods with a focus on product development, testing and piloting solutions in simulated and real-world environments to be farm-ready.
- Have a product at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5-9.
- Have a total project budget between $50,000 and $500,000, including the match funding from BCCAI. Projects can have a higher budget, but the request from BCCAI cannot exceed $250,000.
- Involve 1 - 5 collaborating organizations.
- Project term of 12 months, but a lower or higher term can be considered at BCCAI’s discretion.
- Result in scale-up or commercialization within 12 – 24 months from the start of the project.
If you intend to leverage federal funds as part of this project, please indicate this in the initial discussion with the BCCAI team.
Eligible Projects Costs
If you feel your project meets the criteria, then it is important to understand the type of project costs that can be included in your BCCAI collaboration.
- Eligible costs must be incremental, reasonable, and relate to the execution and achievement of project outcomes.
- Any project-related expenses incurred prior to selection by BCCAI and approval of a project proposal, and costs related to contracting for an approved project are not eligible.
- In-kind contributions are not eligible for matching funds by BCCAI but are important indicators of the team’s commitment and likelihood of success. Relevant contributions should be assessed at fair market value.
- Project costs can include (i) contracted research services for personnel at BC post-secondary institutions and (ii) sub-contracted labour or services provided by Canadian corporations or contractors.
- The list below provides examples of eligible and ineligible costs. If in doubt as to the acceptability of a particular item, consult the BCCAI team.
If you have specific questions about what can be included, please contact bc_cai@sfu.ca.