Overview
Harnessing Agriculture for Research, Value-add Environmental Solutions, and Technology (HARVEST) is a nation-wide funding competition supporting innovative life sciences and biotechnology companies in Canada that are driving commercialization in technology advancements across agriculture and agri-food value chains.
HARVEST will fund innovative projects that advance clean technologies measurably reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions without reducing productivity. The program encompasses a broad range of life science applications, including genomics, biotechnology, metabolomics, engineering biology, precision fermentation and best production practices.
Ontario Genomics, Genome Prairie, and Genome Alberta are combining our collective expertise in genomics, agriculture, and food biotechnology to support companies seeking to innovate and advance commercialization with a commitment to environmental responsibility.
The program is divided into two streams, Primary Agriculture Clean Technologies (PACT) and wasteCANcreate (wCc), to best leverage the strengths of each participating Genome Centre, and to most effectively address national needs for improvements in primary agriculture and waste valorization.
Note: Genome Alberta and Genome Prairie will be administering projects for the PACT stream. Ontario Genomics will be administering projects for the wasteCANcreate (wCc) stream.
Primary Agriculture Clean Technologies (PACT):
Genome Alberta and Genome Prairie are investing in sustainable Canadian agriculture companies with a focus on agricultural production and crop improvement, including water and fertilizer use, pest/disease resistance and environmental resilience without sacrificing productivity.
The goal is to scale up ways to make Canadian agriculture more resilient to climate change and reduce carbon emissions, including CO2, methane, and other greenhouse gases.
wasteCANcreate (wCc):
Ontario Genomics is investing in waste-upcycling companies across Canada, with a focus on valorizing agricultural and/or food-and-beverage waste to improve biomanufacturing processes and commercialize new bio-based products.
The goal is to reduce pressure on landfills and put more money in farmers’ pockets by increasing the upcycling of agricultural waste to make biodegradable plastics, food ingredients, materials and other innovative products for Canada and the rest of the world.
Funding Highlights
Project Envelope Range: $525,000+
HARVEST Contribution Range: $350,000 – $750,000
Minimum Co-Funding Ratio: 0.33:1 (cash co-funding: total project value)
Project Term: Maximum of 2 years (24 months), with eligible expense period between April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2028. No-cost extensions will not be allowed.
Target Timelines
Intake Form Due: March 18, 2026
Full Applications Due: April 13, 2026
Notice of Awards: May 11, 2026
Project Start Date: June 1, 2026
Objectives
The HARVEST initiative aims to:
- Support Canadian Companies
- Strengthen Canada’s agriculture and food economy by integrating and expanding bio-based technologies.
- Support the commercial success of Canadian products, manufacturers, and producers.
- Drive development of less GHG intensive Canadian agricultural production without reducing productivity.
- Position Canada as a leader for the creation, growth and scaling of biotechnology innovation in the global agri-food sector.
The PACT stream aims to advance:
- Improvements in crop and livestock production
- Greater GHG efficiency
- Better abiotic or biotic stress resistance
- Precision agriculture
- Soil and nutrient management technologies
- Systems that cut greenhouse gases, water use, and waste at the source of food production without compromising productivity
The wCc stream aims to:
- Improve microbes for sidestream conversion
- Integrate biologically converted feed stocks into existing production streams
- Scale up a bio-based product
- Optimize enzymatic treatment of sidestreams
Project Eligibility
For all HARVEST applications:
- Applicant must be a Canadian for-profit enterprise (see Appendix A in the Program Guide).
- All funded work must happen within Canada.
- The project supports the invention, development or commercialization of a life science/biotechnology-based, or -enabled, innovation with a clearly articulated market opportunity.
- Additional partners are not mandatory but may strengthen a proposal (e.g. cofunding partners such as commodity groups, established companies interested in a strategic or distribution partnership, or interest as customers or end users).
- The project has the potential to generate economic impacts for the company as well as environmental benefits to Canada.
- Applicants will demonstrate the market potential of their innovations by outlining the competitive landscape, and industry positioning.
- Capacity of company to complete milestones and deliverables.
- Final eligibility decisions rest with the HARVEST organizers.
- Project will be assessed on the potential environmental impacts resulting from the funded activities.
- Prior LCA work that shows environmental impact of the proposed technology may be helpful in assessing projects. However, previously performed LCAs are not a requirement.
To meet PACT-stream criteria, applicants should be:
- Open to technology at Technology Readiness Level (TRL ~2-7), where early TRL proposals are expected to move along the TRL scale over the duration of the project.
- Developing an innovation focused on improving the environmental footprint of primary agricultural production.
- Leveraging life sciences and biotechnology innovations to reduce environmental impacts and/or improve the efficiency of on-farm production activities.
To meet wCc-stream criteria, applicants should be:
- Open to technologies that are ready to scale past the laboratory (TRL ~4-5).
- Contributing to an area within agriculture, food and beverage production, or other areas in the food value chain
- Utilizing an enzymatic, fermentation, and/or engineering biology-based process.
- Have the potential to generate measurable social and economic impacts and benefits.
For full information, please refer to the Program Guide
Application Process
To apply, please visit harvestaccelerator.ca
Documents & Resources
- Please visit harvestaccelerator.ca to view the program guide and intake form.
Funding Contact
Tom Finn, Sector Innovation Manager – Agriculture & Agri-food
tfinn@genomealberta.ca