Moving the plant-protein sector forward by building capacity

Building a strong, resilient plant-protein sector in Canada requires a multi-faceted approach to investment. While work to continue attracting capital to research and development project needs to continue, so, too, does a focus on building out the sector’s capacity.

To help move this work forward, Protein Industries Canada launched its Capacity Building Program in the summer of 2020. The program has seen a fair amount of attention since then; plenty of businesses have submitted Project Application Packages, with others expressing their support for them.

“The Capacity Building Program is key to addressing some of the systemic issues for the long term that is needed for the success of the industry. In my experience this is unique to funding programs because it addresses the longevity of the industry development,” Project Approval Committee member and independent industry expert JoAnne Buth said. “At the end of the day, we want this industry to continue bring benefits to the entire supply chain of agriculture and the health and economic prosperity of Canadians. So this program looks at issues like having well-educated people to work in the industry, a modern responsive regulatory system, data management strategies, a global brand, just to name a few.”

These issues are represented by the seven priority areas served by the program. Any project submitted is required to focus on at least one of the following needs:

• Labour, skills and access to talent;

• Data and ICT management;

• Infrastructure;

• Global brand and international engagement;

• Regulatory modernization;

• Intellectual property literacy; and

• Access to capital.

The program also focuses on ways to better include Indigenous Communities, women and other under-represented populations in the plant-protein sector.

“I am hoping for a very wide range of projects in all the of the priority areas,” Buth said. “We need to address all of these issues. I think of it as a safety net for the industry. Each priority area addresses a wide range of these systemic needs for the industry.”

Ensuring a project meets at least one of these priority areas is the first step to getting it approved, but it isn’t a guarantee. The requirements for approval go deeper, but Buth said approaching the staff at Protein Industries Canada for advice ahead of time can help make the process smoother.

“The process for this program is very well managed by the staff at Protein Industries Canada,” she said. “That’s another reason why I decided to work on this committee. Time is precious and I knew that the staff would excel at an efficient process.”

For more information about the Capacity Building Program, or to download the Program Guide, check out the Protein Industries Canada website.