Support for innovation

Our unique approach to innovation through culinary co-creation involves members of your organization, experts and, above all, consumers who are committed to and interested in the product or service that you will offer them!

Innovation through culinary co-creation is an open innovation method for bio-food industry stakeholders that directly involves the end-user in the product development process. It helps:

• understand the real needs of customers and consumers, their fears and irritants to identify new opportunities for innovation;
• co-create with them new product concepts, services, or brand image;
• validate with them the relevance of these new concepts.

To learn more about culinary co-creation, watch this report featuring our facilities and the company Fumoir Grizzly on the TV program l’Épicerie (in French), where we discovered new ideas for consuming smoked salmon.

We critically examine your project or product to identify concrete actions for improvement and to address any issues of concern.

We assess the nutritional or health potential of your product or ingredient, integrating current scientific knowledge, expert opinions, regulations, and market characteristics.

We identify potential markets interested in the value proposition of your product or ingredient.

We assess the compliance of your nutritional or health information and evaluate the potential for making claims and obtaining marketing authorization for your product. This includes navigating processes and procedures related to the extension of the Food and Drug Regulations, whether it is for a food or a natural health product.

We analyze and detect the nutritional strengths and weaknesses of your product, in relation to your sector and the products commercially available, and identify opportunities for nutritional improvement.

We analyze and make decisions regarding:

• The safety of the product and the processes implemented to ensure it.
• Risks related to the presence of contaminants.
• The impact of certain processes on product characteristics.
• The product’s life cycle.

We guide you toward solutions to:

• improve the safety of your product
• stabilize its quality
• increase its lifespan
• reduce the presence of additives
• improve its nutritional quality
• consider an alternative process
• identify ingredient or equipment suppliers

To assess the economic viability of your envisioned product, we consider both potential costs and market prices.

We assess and quantify the work required to demonstrate the impact of your product or ingredient on one or more factors related to human health.

We develop and present thematic training courses collaboratively with our strategic partners (Créneau Aliments Santé, CRAAQ, Food Hub) or within companies.

National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP)

Objective:

• Allowing Canadian SMEs to access consulting services from experts in different sectors to accelerate and increase the potential for successful innovation projects

Eligibility:

• Incorporated, profit-oriented small or medium-sized business in Canada
• Having 500 or fewer full-time equivalent employees, including at least one technical resource
• Growth and profit for your business by developing and commercializing innovative, technology-driven new or improved products, services, or processes in Canada

Format:

• Contribution Agreement between NRC IRAP and INAF
  • An interactive visit up to 20 hours, 100% funded (no administrative fee for the company)
  • A specialized intervention, up to 100 hours, 75% funded

• NRC IRAP Programs
  • Applied Research Projects (ARP), for small and medium R&D&I projects, 50% funded

Procedure:

• Identify your NRC IRAP Industrial Technology Advisor (ITA) to tell him about your project by calling 1‑877‑994‑4727

• More information on the program

Objective:

• Supporting the Quebec bio-food supply chain in developing and improving processed foods of good nutritional quality for Quebec’s consumers

Eligibility:

• Food processing company legally constituted in Quebec
• Company subcontracting the processing of their food to another establishment
• A company having a central kitchen
• The product must be of good nutritional quality, low in saturated fat, sodium, and sugars, and rich in dietary fiber.

Format :

• Component 1 = Support for diagnostic studies
  • Calling upon an external consultant (the ISS acts as a subcontractor)
  • Being guided toward conditions to successfully develop a product of good nutritional quality
  • Obtaining a development action plan
  • Providing 60% of eligible expenses, up to $25,000 per project

• Component 2 = Support for the development of products
  • Développer un aliment transformé possédant une bonne qualité nutritive ou à valeur santé
  • Developing a processed food having the good nutritional quality or health value
  • Honoraria and travel to an external consultant are eligible expenses if no internal specialist salary is claimed for this component.
  • Providing 70% of eligible expenses, up to $150,000 per project

Procedure:

• Applications are accepted continuously until March 1, 2022

• More information on the program

INAF, as a member of QuébecInnove expert network, is able to collaborate with you on the Innovation Program.

Objective:

• Supporting Quebec SMEs in carrying out their innovation projects

Eligibility:

• For-profit business
• Collective enterprise as defined in the Social Economy Act
• Legally constituted in Quebec and in Canada
• It must operate an establishment in Quebec for the production of goods and services, or carry out in-house research and development activities.
• The project must focus on the development of a new product or process or a significant improvement; demonstrate the required degree of innovation; have technological or business uncertainty; require R&D efforts; demonstrate commercial potential.

Format:

• Support for innovation projects
  • Planning activities and studies; proof of concept; development or improvement; testing and validation; commercialization plan; quantification scheme and verification plan for certification; demonstration in a real-life operating situation (scaling-up); a technological showcase for the real-life operating situation at a partner’s site
  • Company alone: 30% of eligible expenses up to a maximum of $50,000
  • A cluster of companies: 50% of eligible expenses up to a maximum of $150,000
  • Collaborative project with one or more members of QuébecInnove performing R&D: 50% of eligible expenses up to a maximum of $150,000
  • Obtaining a development action plan
  • Providing 60% of eligible expenses, up to $25,000 per project

Procedure :

• Applications accepted on a continuous basis
• Dates of decision committees: December 17, 2021, and April 29, 2022
• More information on the program