Businesses can now apply for a share of £2m to work with Canadian partners on new technologies that set out to boost productivity and cut pollution.
Both the UK and Canada say they recognise the economic importance of agriculture and have been working together to identify areas of mutual interest.
The Canadian and UK agri-food sectors were worth £63bn and £109bn respectively in 2014.
The UK government’s Transforming Food Production Challenge has up to £90 million to help businesses invest in new data-driven precision-agriculture technologies that could transform food production.
Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, has up to £2m from the fund to invest in research and development projects that involve UK businesses working with partners in Canada.
Small or medium-sized farming businesses in Canada, with fewer than 500 employees, will receive funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program.
The fund is looking for businesses who aim to transform the food production challenge, including the use of data-driven precision approaches and contributing towards a target of net-zero emissions by 2040.
They should aim to bring new businesses and technologies into the UK and Canadian agriculture sectors and show they have taken account of the needs of farmers and growers.
The funding will support projects that combine digital technologies, artificial intelligence, the application of big data and engineering solutions with biological, environmental or social science to drive productivity.
The competition opens on Monday 27 January and closes at 5pm on Wednesday 20 May 2020.
