A catalyst for adaptation, advancement and innovation within the agriculture and agri-food community.
Applications being accepted -
Ontario Research and Development Program
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) provided
$2.5 millions to the Agricultural Adaptation Council to fund the AACs Ontario
Research and Development (ORD) Program. The ORD program is a two-year provincial
program, aimed at boosting Agricultural Research, Competitiveness and
Productivity. ORD was announced in January 2008 as part of the $150 million
announced by Ontario in the 2007 Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review. The AAC, a
non-profit coalition of 71 Ontario agricultural, agri-food and rural
organizations will deliver the program.
2.0 ORD OBJECTIVES AND GOAL
2.1 The overall goal of the Program is to:
promote the long-term viability and competitiveness of Ontario agriculture by
investing in agricultural research and development projects which will
accelerate research, competitiveness and productivity for the non supply managed
commodities of the Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council (OACC).
2.2 The main objectives of ORD are to:
Expand and strengthen linkages between the agriculture and agri-food sector
and the science and innovation community;
Improve technology transfer, coordination, communication and collaboration
across market, policy and scientific disciplines, research organizations and
throughout the agri-food value chain;
Accelerate the development and adoption of innovations in the agriculture and
agri-food sector while maintaining an effective science-based and transparent
agriculture and agri-food regulatory system;
Ensure that the human resources and infrastructure needed for science and
innovation in the agriculture and agri-food sector are available;
Foster a supportive climate for agri-food investment, technology transfer,
commercialization and competitiveness;
Adjust to market signals and changes on consumer demands to support the
capture of market opportunities;
Use intellectual property from publicly-supported agri-food research to
enhance the growth of the agriculture and agri-food sector; and
Increase the level of investment in innovation in agriculture and
bio-products.
3.0 ORD PRINCIPLES The Program requires that projects:
Are consistent with provincial policy directions, acts, regulations and
environmental directives such as sustainable development, innovation and
thriving agriculture and food sectors in Ontario.
Are consistent with international, domestic and trade commitments and
minimizing the exposure to countervail.
Avoid duplicating, overlapping or replacing, but could augment, federal and
provincial activities and programs.
Are consistent with adopted 2008 Research Themes by the Provincial government:
1) Production systems, 2) Product Development and Enhancement through the Value
Chain, 3) Agriculture and Rural Policy, 4) Environmental Sustainability, 5)
Bioeconomy: Industrial Uses, Food and Health, and 6) Emergency Preparedness.
4.0 ORD CRITERIA FOR ELIGIBILITY AND THE USE OF ORD FUNDS
4.1. Eligible applicants are those recognized as non-supply managed
organizations of OACC and must be legal entities. However, any applicant can
be deemed ineligible as a result of Ontario government policy decisions or
reasons.
4.2. Eligibility criteria: In addition to respecting the overall principles
for the Program noted at the beginning of this section, ORD projects must meet
the following general criteria:
Address gaps in support of agriculture and food research and technology
transfer;
Include pilot activities, research and analysis designed to reduce cost,
enhance sector diversity, increase yields , improve product quality or develop
new products and markets;
Be market oriented and ready for practical application;
Have agri-food industry support;
Have benefits that go directly to the sector;
Have projected benefits that exceed the costs;
Focus on specific opportunities or challenges facing the Provinces agri-food
sector;
Reflect applied research initiatives, with the goal of providing benefits to
the non-supply managed Ontario agri-food sector; and
Investigate or generate data on novel pesticides, through projects reviewed
and approved by the Minor Use Coordinator at OMAFRA thus confirming no
duplication or overlap of existing research.
4.3. Ineligible expenses: Ineligible expenses under ORD include:
Costs to support the normal commercial expansion or activities of private
companies;
Costs related to direct income support;
Costs of any land or equipment acquisition or construction of buildings (see
section 4.6.); and
Costs associated with on-going normal business activities (see section 4.7.).
4.4. Eligible expenses: Eligible expenses under ORD include:
Incremental costs to the applicant (i.e. Administration expenses which are
above and beyond normal activities.);
Third party costs for services provided and related to the project e.g. lab
fees, consultant fees, printing costs, etc. Applicants are encouraged to pursue
a tendering process and to provide justification of selected service provider;
In-kind contributions from not-for-profit organizations only;
Soft costs directly associated to the project, including leasing of equipment;
Travel expenses must be within Provincial guidelines. (http://www.opseu.org/ops/frontlines/meal.pdf);
Up front disclosure of capital costs to a maximum of $5,000 (see section 3.6).
4.5. Eligible projects
Expenses for projects that commenced on or after April 1, 2008 are eligible.
However, if such projects are accepted under these terms, there must be detailed
documentation available for audit purposes to prove when they were initiated.
For tobacco projects only: the project must address transition issues to
qualify.
All projects funded must fulfil the objectives of the Program and meet Program
eligibility criteria.
4.6. Capital
Under the ORD Program, capital may be funded if the per item asset is worth less
than $5,000 and will be written off over the life of the project. All capital
expenses must be reflected in the project application form, and be approved in
advance, in writing. Applicants are encouraged to pursue a tendering process and
to provide justification of selected service provider. Leasing of capital is to
be encouraged. The Program will not fund the capital cost of construction of
buildings or the acquisition of land.
The Program may contribute toward the acquisition of new technology where the
purchase of new equipment is critical to the development of a new product or
service. In other words, the capital must be new and innovative to the Province
or Sector and be a demonstration or pilot project. Project funding per item may
exceed $5,000 for such projects.
4.7. Normal Business
Financial support from the ORD Program should be restricted to funding
activities which would not take place without the ORD funding. ORD funding is
intended to make a difference. The Program will not fund ongoing operations or
projects of businesses or organizations. Funding will not be provided for
projects which started before April 1, 2008.
4.8. Cost Share
Sharing the cost of a project with sources beyond government funds is strongly
encouraged. Preference will be given to projects which demonstrate fair cash
cost sharing. Leveraging provincial and/or federal programming dollars is
encouraged through applicant cash and/or in-kind support. Under ORD, up to 100%
can be funded towards project costs. The AAC Board has the authority to fund
projects at their requested level. They also have the ability to table, reduce
or decline any ORD Project.
4.9. In Kind Contributions
In kind contributions are defined resources provided by a recipient in
satisfying, in whole or in part, the recipients share of the project, not
purchased specifically for the project and not reimbursable. If the recipient
did not have access to these resources, a cash outlay would have been required
by the recipient to purchase and pay for them (ex. labour, goods, equipment, use
of building etc).
The AAC requires all applicants who submit in kind expenses to provide
sufficient detail. Applicants must identify the specific in kind contributions
being provided to the project as a share of the project costs and to supply a
certification attesting to the provision of the in kind contributions. The
financial audit scope requires the auditor to verify the value of in-kind
contributions reported for the project.
4.10. Intellectual Property
The concept of Intellectual Property (IP) includes, but is not limited to, all
technical information and all inventions, drawings, methods, products,
improvements, processes, discoveries, varieties, germoplasms, cultivars, genetic
materials, genetic constructions, mutants, micro-organisms, specimens and
progeny, whether or not they qualify for legal protection, including any
know-how, demonstration, trade secret, research plan/priorities, computerized
model or related report, any commercial interest or product idea, and any
patent, patent application or copyright.
The AACs position on intellectual property is that IP created by a recipient of
the Program shall remain with the recipient.
5.0 PROGRAM TIMING AND LIMITS
The ORD Program is intended to invest up to $2.5 million until March 31, 2010
and not beyond.
The AAC proposes the following timelines to allocate and access funds:
Earliest project start date... . .. April 1, 2008
Last Application must be received at the AAC . .. . June 1, 2009
Latest project completion date & final claim and report submission .. March
31, 2010
6.0 THE APPROVAL PROCESS
Step 1: Applicants will submit the project to their corresponding commodity
organization R&D Sector Committee for review.
Step 2: Applicants submit a typed ORD application form to the R&D Sector
Committee and a completed Sector Committee Application Approval checklist signed
by the sector representative and commodity representative.
Step 3: The Sector R&D Committee sends documents to the AAC including an
electronic copy at least 2 weeks before AAC Board scheduled meetings. Datelines
will be posted on AACs website.
Step 4: The AAC Board reviews all Sectors R&D recommendations and makes all
decisions on approvals, terms, conditions, and levels of funding.
Step 6: Applicant signs an AAC Agreement with terms and conditions, and the
manner and timing of funding.
Step 7: A copy of the AAC Agreement signed by applicant and the AAC, guidelines
and templates for claim submission and reporting are provided.
Step 8: Applicant will provide ongoing reporting and final reporting.
7.0 CONTACT
Agricultural Adaptation Council
Ontario AgriCentre
Suite 103
100 Stone Road West
Guelph, ON N1G 5L3
Tel: 519-822-7554
Fax: 519-822-6248
info@adaptcouncil.org
