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Weston Seeding Stronger Communities

How to Apply

SEEDING FOOD INNOVATION GRANTS 2019

We provide seed funding for interdisciplinary research or technology development that help accelerate solutions to sustainable food challenges. Research outcomes should impact primarily Canadians, but also deliver key learnings towards issues of global concern.

Submit a Letter of Intent

Sign-in to our online system or register for a new account to submit a letter of intent.

APPLY NOW

Important Dates

Program opens: Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Program Information Webinars: Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 1pm EST
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at 1pm EST
Download Recording
Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline: Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 2pm EDT
Proposal Deadline: Thursday, September 5, 2019 at 2pm EDT
Award Announcement: November 2019

Program Overview

Goal:

To provide seed funding for innovative transdisciplinary research whose goal is to safely increase the production of food and other agricultural products, that will feed and nourish the growing population in ways that are environmentally, economically as well as culturally sustainable.

Funding:

A maximum of $250,000 over up to two years per project.

Applicant Eligibility:

Eligible Principal Applicants must be:

  • at or above the level of Postdoctoral researcher OR have an Administrative Supervisor that has a permanent post at a recognised Canadian post-secondary institution
  • be affiliated with a Canada Revenue Agency-qualified donee institution located in Canada
  • working in Canada at least 30% of the time

Project Eligibility:

  • NEW: Projects should 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.

Program Information Webinar:

We will hold two webinars to provide further details on the program and answer any questions. However, if you have a question specific to your project (e.g. project scope), we encourage you to contact us.

Register for Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 1:00pm EST here.
Register for Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at 1:00pm EST here.

Application Process:

There are two stages in the application process:

  1. Letter of Intent (LOI)
  2. Proposal

An application requires the submission of the online Letter of Intent which will be reviewed by our scientific review committee. Following evaluation, applications that are deemed to be high potential projects will be invited to submit a Proposal. Only ~15% of LOIs are invited to the Proposal phase, so that applicants and reviewers spend their time on Proposals that have an excellent chance of being funded.

Additional Information:

Please refer to the Funding Guidelines for more detailed information about this grant program.
We welcome inquiries about our funding at Food.Innovation@Weston.ca or 416-965-5472.