Competition

* Unless explicitly noted, all times indicated for deadlines are for the appropriate NL timezone (NST or NDT)

George Weston Limited and Loblaw Companies Limited are delighted to launch Seeding Food Innovation grants 2018. We provide seed funding for interdisciplinary research or technology development that help accelerate solutions to sustainable food challenges. Our thematic focus is on production, distribution and consumption initiatives. Research outcomes should impact primarily Canadians, but also deliver key learnings towards issues of global concern.

Funding & Eligibility

• Funding of up to $250,000 per project is available for up to two years within the field of food innovation
• Funding will only be awarded to institutions that are Canada Revenue Agency registered
• Principal Applicants must be at the level of Postdoctoral Fellow or higher OR have an Administrative Supervisor that has a permanent post at recognised Canadian post-secondary institution
• Principal Applicants should be based at a Canadian Institution for at least 30% of their time

Review Criteria

The following criteria will be considered in reviewing LOIs and Proposals. At the LOI stage, the primary focus of review will be the scientific idea itself. At the Proposal stage, reviewers will place increased consideration on the strength of the methodology, milestones and contingencies, budgeting and the suitability of the project team and research environment.

• Scientific Rigour and Innovation: Is the project rigorously scientific, while advancing or challenging current practices? Will the work refine, improve or be a new application of existing knowledge, technologies or methods In addition, research ideas should have a clearly defined focus and objectives? We are also open to trans-disciplinary work that moves beyond the classical boundaries of food production, distribution and consumption. For example, there may be an emphasis on economics, social science and/or behaviour.
• Vision and scope: While the project is to be primarily executed in Canada and must be significant to Canadian food and health systems, successful projects will also be able to demonstrate relevance and impact at a global scale.
• Commitment to knowledge mobilization (translation and transfer): How will the projects move beyond academic circles to make a real impact on the health, social and/or economic development for the benefit of Canadians and others around the globe?
• Likelihood of success: How well-suited are the team and environment for this work? How likely will the project be at developing a novel, practical and scalable solution to a food-related problem?

Important things to know about our Funding

• Full or partial support of projects: We can support a full project or a portion of any project, but will closely examine the budget justification to ensure fair value in terms of research output and impact.
• Funds are provided contingent on meeting milestones. If your project is selected, funds are provided in tranches as experimental milestones are successfully completed.
• Our application process is interactive. Applications that reach the LOI and Proposal Adjudications receive feedback and may be asked to consider making modifications.
• Many projects are declined at the Letter of Intent (LOI) stage. 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.
• We provide more than funding. Our grantees may also benefit from expert advice from our scientific advisors, as well as suggestions from seasoned retail executives with deep experience into customer needs, and networking opportunities.

Timeline: 

Information Webinars: June 13th, 14th, 2018 @ 1:00pm EST
Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline: Wednesday, June 27, 2018 - 12:00pm EST
Proposal Deadline: Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - 12:00pm EST
Award Announcement: November 2018

For queries, please contact: Kate Ryan PhD, Manager, Seeding Food Innovation Grants, Community Investments

22 St. Clair Ave. East, Suite 800 | Toronto, ON. M4T 2S5

Tel: 416.965.5472 | Email: Kate.Ryan@Weston.ca

Faculty of HSS Submission Procedures: This application’s Letter of Intent does not require review by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) or Research Grant and Contract Services (RGCS). If you are invited to develop a full proposal, in addition to the external funding agency’s submission procedures, you will also be required to submit the proposal through Memorial's Researcher Portal (RP) for HSS Faculty and RGCS institutional reviews. In these instances, please add "Heather C. O'Brien (Grants Coordinator)” as a "Team Member" on your RP file. In the RP, you must complete all tabs, attach a .pdf of the agency's application, attach all other supporting documentation, and press "Submit" before the HSS internal deadline which is at least 10 working days prior to the funding agency’s deadline.

If you plan to apply for any of these or other funding opportunities, please e-mail the Grants Facilitator, Heather C. O’Brien, at HSSResearchAdmin@mun.ca or call 864-8603 to notify the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of your intent to apply. The Grants Facilitator can answer any questions you may have about internal or external submission procedures.