Ontario Food Technology Pilot

The Ontario Food Technology Pilot provides non-repayable funding to help early-stage companies validate and demonstrate innovative food technologies developed in southern Ontario. By supporting in-market pilot projects across processing, foodservice, retail, and distribution, the program reduces cost and risk, accelerates commercialization, and strengthens industry collaboration around high-impact, post-farmgate innovations.

This program is for incorporated businesses with annual revenues of no more than $5M who are ready to demonstrate a technology that is not yet commercialized. The lead applicant must be located in southern Ontario. All applicants must be CFIN members (membership is free).

The Ontario Food Technology Pilot (OFTP) supports pilot and demonstration projects that help accelerate the commercialization of innovative, IP-driven food technologies developed in southern Ontario. Funded projects must enable early-stage companies to validate their solutions in operational environments such as food processing, foodservice, grocery retail, or distribution settings.

To be eligible for funding, all projects must:

• Be led by an incorporated, southern Ontario-based food technology business with less than $5 million in total revenue in its most recently completed fiscal year.
• Address a post-farmgate challenge in the food supply chain. Projects that primarily involve agricultural production or are designed to benefit farmers are not eligible.
• Focus on the late-stage validation and demonstration of novel technology, ingredients, or processes that have not yet been commercialized.
• Advance a solution from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 or 7, ideally culminating in a system prototype demonstration at TRL 8 or 9 (See section 4.3 of the program guide for TRL information).
• Identify a clearly defined commercial outcome, such as customer validation, data collection for investment readiness, or market entry.
• Be submitted by a CFIN member in good standing. Membership is free and open to eligible applicants.
• Involve at least one project partner, ideally a Canadian food sector stakeholder (e.g., processor, retailer, foodservice operator) who will enable or participate in the pilot.
• Include an Intellectual Property (IP) strategy with an IP Plan in place or in development.
• Commence no earlier than 60 days following the intake deadline, and be completed no later than March 31, 2027.
• Align with one or more of CFIN’s innovation priorities:

1. Food manufacturing technology
2. Food waste & circularity
3. Digital supply chain
4. Food safety & traceability
5. Kitchen & restaurant technology
6. NextGen ingredients & food
7. Food packaging
8. Consumer apps & services
9. Cleantech

Business-to-business (B2B) solutions will be prioritized and should be applicable to food processing, foodservice, distribution, or retail sectors.

Projects focused solely on food product development, such as the creation or reformulation of branded food products (e.g., snacks or beverages), are not eligible under the program.

The total eligible project costs should be between $20,000 to $200,000, and the maximum level of funding from CFIN will be 50% of total eligible project costs, or $100,000.

All applicants must register for a free CFIN Membership to apply: www.cfin-rcia.ca/becomeamember

Please review the OFTP Program Guide for more details.

Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm local time on the deadline date.

If you have questions after reviewing the guide, contact us at sara@cfin-rcia.ca

The Ontario Food Technology Pilot is delivered by the Canadian Food Innovation Network (CFIN) and funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).