Joy Johnson, president and vice-chancellor, Simon Fraser University (SFU) –

“The B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation will directly improve the lives of people across the province by accelerating the research and development of new technologies in the agritech space – and ultimately creating stronger, more sustainable food systems in our region. SFU is proud to lead the centre in collaboration with our partners in academia, industry and government, and I am thrilled to see the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation providing strong support for this important work.”

Lilian Yang, PhD student, geography, Simon Fraser University –

“As an SFU PhD student, and someone who believes that the challenges of agritech research rely on collaborative environments and fresh perspectives, I am confident that the centre will provide students with opportunities to gain real-world experience with professionals outside of the academic sphere and produce new generations of capable and well-rounded scientists.”

Garry Fehr, associate vice-president, research, engagement, and graduate studies, University of the Fraser Valley –

“I am very pleased to see this investment in agritech, as this initiative will enable researchers to work with industry to enhance food security by addressing the uncertainty of climate change, a limited food-production land base and shortages of agricultural labour with innovations in agritech.”

Bill Vanderkooi, general manager and founder, Bakerview EcoDairy –

“We’re excited to see this investment in the agritech field. Agritech is all about finding innovative ways to make farming more efficient and sustainable and reimagining a new future for the agriculture industry.”

Henry Braun, mayor of Abbotsford –

“The city of Abbotsford has the most productive agricultural land in Canada on a per-hectare basis and November's catastrophic flooding event, along with the Highway 1 and U.S./Canada border crossing closures and resulting supply-chain interruptions are reminders of how important agriculture and food security is. The City of Abbotsford is grateful to the Province for launching the new B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation, and for making long-term investments in this vital industry. It's our city's hope that this centre will be a key support toward a productive, sustainable and efficient food-supply system for our communities and all the people of this province.”

Kelli Paddon, MLA for Chilliwack-Kent –

“Having reliable, sustainable and local food production options is incredibly important, and there is nowhere in the province like the Fraser Valley to grow, raise and produce the food that will nourishes British Columbians. This centre will help strengthen food security across the province for years to come.”

Bob D'Eith, MLA for Maple Ridge-Mission –

“We are constantly evolving, and right here in British Columbia some of the brightest minds are creating new technologies to help keep our agriculture sector thriving and ensure food security for British Columbians. I'm thrilled to see the support for the new BC Centre for Agritech Innovation and cannot wait to see (or eat) what comes out of the research and training the centre will provide!”

Megan Dykeman, MLA for Langley-East –

“As a farmer, I know the hard work that goes into agriculture and as we saw this past November, unpredictable factors like weather can greatly affect food production. Our government knows how important it is to our food security to be able to continue to grow and produce food at home, notwithstanding the challenges of changing climate and consequences, such as flooding. That is one reason why our government is investing in the B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation.” 

Dan Coulter, MLA for Chilliwack –

"The Fraser Valley is a hub for innovation, and the growing range of diverse agritech companies and projects stationed here shows that. This agritech centre will not only help with sustainable food production here in British Columbia, but will also create jobs and opportunities for even further innovation.” 

Pam Alexis, MLA for Abbotsford-Mission –

“Our agritech sector is already full of incredibly innovative and passionate people, and it's ready to boom. This centre, working with our post-secondary institutions, government and industry will help British Columbia's agriculture technology businesses thrive, help bring good, local, affordable food to the table and solidify B.C. as a global leader in agritech.” 

Andrew Mercier, MLA for Langley –

“Families want to put affordable, sustainable and local food on the table, and the new B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation is going to help make sure that we are keeping up with the technology and techniques to keep growing great food for British Columbians.”

• B.C. has more than 150 agritech companies, in areas such as food processing, precision agriculture, bioproducts, food safety/traceability and soil/crop technology.
• B.C. has an agritech land strategy that builds on recommendations made in 2019 by the Food Security Task Force to review land-use planning policies and regulations to ensure B.C.’s agritech sector has a place to grow.
• The BC Centre for Agritech Innovation will support projects for small to medium-sized businesses from start to finish, including:
  • access and use of labs and testing spaces;
  • subject matter or technical expertise;
  • additional staff for projects;
  • project-specific consultants;
  • materials needed; and
  • support programs.
• The criteria for projects to be accepted include:
  • The company has at least four, but fewer than 100, employees.
  • The company must be a private corporation, incorporated and headquartered in B.C.
  • The company must have been in operation for at least two years with a clear plan for business scale-up.
  • The project must be related to agriculture, agri-technology and agri-foods and have the potential to be commercialized within 12 to 24 months.