Daniel Vandal, Federal Northern Affairs Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, and Karen Churchill, Chief Executive Officer of Ag-West Bio are excited to launch The Global Agri-Food Advancement Partnership (GAAP).
The new incubator program in Saskatoon is intended to assist agri-food businesses advance their technologies to market adoption. GAAP is created to help emerging agri-food companies gain multi-year access to facilities (such as greenhouses, laboratories, and offices), training, mentorship, concierge services and investment.
The not-for-profit organization is a partnership between Ag-West Bio, the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), Innovation Place and the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre.
The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency announced its $1.5 million funding for GAAP, located at Innovation Place in Saskatoon.
"Innovation is a team sport, and we have a deep bench here in Saskatchewan," states Vandal. "There's no doubt in my mind that agriculture is a solution to climate change. Innovation in agriculture is a solution to economic growth. It's a solution to environmental challenges that we face, and it can build a more sustainable future."
GAAP is unique to the North America start-up ecosystem. “No other organization provides what we are proposing,” explains Churchill. “The GAAP is not just an accelerator. It is not just funding. It is not just an incubator. It is a combination of all of these things and more."
GAAP hopes to initially support as many as 30 companies over its 20-year lifetime.