Canadian Companies Foster New Technology and Business Partnerships with Chinese and Israeli Innovators to Capitalize on the Global Agriculture Market

Mission to Yangling, China Marks another Milestone in the Establishment of a Trilateral R&D Cooperation Program in Agri-Innovation

ISTPCanada and the Canada-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (CIIRDF), in partnership with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), organized and led a Technology and Business Partnering Mission tothe China Yangling Agricultural High-Tech Fair (CAF) in November 2010.  It represents another key milestone in a new trilateral R&D cooperation program between Canada, China and Israel for the sustainable development of agriculture and agri-foods.  Building on the outcomes of trilateral roundtables in 2008 and 2009, and the launch of a three-way Call for Proposals in 2010, the mission enabled companies to explore opportunities for the collaborative development, commercialization and application of new technologies that could increase the competitiveness of the agricultural sector.

The four-day mission brought 13 Canadian technology-based agriculture firms and research organizations together with more than 50 prospective partners from China and Israel to explore opportunities for collaborative R&D, technology commercialization and business development.  Building on discussions conducted during the mission, several participating Canadian companies and R&D organizations are exploring cooperative R&D and business agreements with international counterparts. Downstream, these strategic linkages could help to increase demand for Canadian technology and its potential application in different agricultural sectors; facilitate the joint development of novel agricultural products; and stimulate new commercial opportunities for Canadian firms in the international agricultural market. Total global demand for agricultural machinery and equipment alone is projected to reach US$111 billion by 2012.  

As the cradle of China’s agricultural science and technology development and location of the world’s largest Agricultural Fair, Yangling also served as the backdrop for the announcement of the China-Canada-Israel Centre for Agri-Innovation.  The first of its kind, the Center will help facilitate the commercialization of new technologies emerging from trilateral R&D projects supported under the Canada-China-Israel cooperation program. Leveraging joint funding from all three nations, it will provide Canadian companies with a research-intensive site in Yangling, China, for the development, incubation and demonstration of new technologies. This will create new opportunities to participate in the commercialization of new agricultural applications, and benefit from direct and facilitated access to the Chinese market.   

For additional information on this Mission, please contact Stacy Chew, Country Manager for China at 613.729.3069 ext 223 or StacyChew@istpcanada.ca; or Sonya Shorey, Communications Strategist at 613.851.9416 or sonyashorey@istpcanada.ca.