Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, March 21, 2025 – The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) today announced it has received an additional $8M from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). These funds will continue to build the organisation’s momentum as it delivers its mission to support innovative agricultural technology R&D.
CAAIN’s mandate from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is to fund technological responses to the most significant opportunities and challenges facing the nation’s agri-food producers and primary processors. That means supporting promising efforts with the potential to provide social, economic, and/or environmental value. In its first five years of operation, CAAIN has committed $32.4M to 36 projects whose combined total value is roughly $100M.
“We are grateful that Minister Anand and her extraordinary ISED staff recognise the value our team brings to the table,” explained Darrell Petras, CAAIN’s CEO. “Since our first funding competition in 2020, we have received hundreds of applications from some truly remarkable Canadian innovators. While we have not been able to help them all, the 36 with whom we have worked are generating extraordinary results, including: Over 500 high-quality positions created or maintained; more than $3M in commercialisation revenue; an estimated $10M in taxpayer savings; and more than $500M in new Canadian agtech investment from project partners. In short, we have provided Canadians with a significant return on their investment. What’s more, there’s been no cookie-cutter approach. From AI in apiculture to weed-zapping robots, the diversity of projects we have funded and continue to work with is proof positive that the spirit of innovation is alive and well in our nation’s agriculture and technology communities. I couldn’t be prouder of the results our team has produced, and ISED’s vote of confidence confirms that the Government of Canada is of the same opinion. We are excited to see where the next few years will take our country’s agtech sector.”
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“Never has it been more important to support innovation in Canadian agriculture. Data-driven technology, including AI, holds solutions to many of the problems our farmers face. That is why our government is committed to investing in agricultural productivity, profitability, and sustainability by supporting organisations such as CAAIN.”
The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Canada
“CAAIN’s Board of Directors would like to thank the Government of Canada for continuing to recognise and support the value we provide. Since 2020, ISED funding has allowed us to back agricultural innovation that addresses major challenges facing agri-food producers and processors in Canada and abroad. The additional $8M will allow us to extend our reach, particularly our focus on developing smart farm networks that will accelerate agtech adoption. That, in turn, will allow the Canadian agricultural technology sector to make meaningful contributions to a worldwide farming community tasked with feeding a global population expected to hit 10 billion by 2050.”
Laura Kilcrease, Board Chair, Canadian Agi-Food Automation and Intelligence Network
The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) is a not-for-profit company launched in July 2019 with funding of $49.5‑million from the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund. CAAIN drives collaborative agri-food technology research and innovation from coast to coast.
| Project Funding Inquiries Darrell Petras, P.Ag. CEO Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network darrell.petras@caain.ca |
Media Inquiries Eric Morin, CMP Manager, Communications and Marketing Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network 780.405.3742 | eric.morin@caain.ca |
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