Agricultural Bioproducts Innovation Program (ABIP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Sheet (v. 1) Table of Contents: How can I get the program documents?... 1 What kinds of funding are available to the program?... 1 What kinds of activities will the program funding support?... 2 Is there a requirement for matching or in-kind resources from applicants?... 2 How soon will the funding be distributed?... 2 What will review and reporting be like?..2 Can foreign organizations participate in the networks and are they eligible for funding?... 3 What s the difference between a network and a cluster?... 3 Are there requirements for the composition of networks?... 3 How large does a network have to be?... 3 How will Intellectual Property (IP) issues be addressed?... 4 What does the word bioproducts include?... 4 Please note: In the case of an actual or perceived discrepancy between what is presented in this FAQ sheet, and what is contained in the Applicant s Guidebook, the Process Manual, or the other program documentation, the wording in these latter documents shall prevail. Q. How can I get the program documents? A. You may email abip-piba@agr.gc.ca and request them, you may visit www.agr.gc.ca/abip and download them from the website, or you may call 1 866 912 2477 and request that they be mailed to you. Q. What kinds of funding are available to the program? A. Federal expenditures are allocated to different categories of voted funding that are governed by different rules as to how these funds may be used. In the case of the ABIP, the funding is to be divided among Operating Expenditures (Vote 1), 1
Capital Expenditures (Vote 5), and Grants and Contributions (Vote 10). Network participants external to the federal government may apply for funding in the form of contributions (Vote 10) and, if eligible, will be required to execute a Contribution Agreement(s) in order to obtain the funding. Federal government participants will be funded through operating funds (Vote 1). The capital funds (Vote 5) are restricted to AAFC participants for the purposes of equipment acquisition. Federal participation will be governed through Collaborative Research and Development Agreements (CRDAs). Q. What kinds of activities will the program funding support? A. Both the Contribution (Vote 10) and Operating (Vote 1) funding are intended to contribute to the development of highly qualified personnel such as graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and technical support staff, to defray operating costs, such as materials and supplies, to enable the purchase of equipment where its acquisition is essential to accomplish the activities of the network (except in the case of AAFC which will use Vote 5 funding as well), and to cover justified incremental overhead costs associated with the administration of the networks. It is not intended for construction projects associated with the building of new facilities or for the renovation of existing facilities. Q. Is there a requirement for matching or in-kind resources from applicants? A. There is no matching formula. The ABIP can provide up to 100% of contribution funding for projects. Cash and in-kind resources from network collaborators that are dedicated to network activities will be valued in relation to the role they will play in achieving the network s objectives. Q. How soon will the funding be distributed? A. Due to the uncertainties inherent in negotiating and executing agreements there can be no hard commitments made respecting turnaround times. It is anticipated that Contribution Agreements that provide funding to assist Full Proposal development will be turned around relatively quickly using a streamlined process. The time required to negotiate and execute agreements for approved Full Proposals will vary, depending on the nature and composition of the networks. The agreements will specify how the funding arrangements are to be addressed by the parties to the agreements. Q. What will review and reporting be like? A. Networks will be expected to provide regular reports on work progress and on financial expenditures. Specific requirements will be detailed in a network s agreement(s). 2
Q. Can foreign organizations participate in the networks and are they eligible for funding? A. International collaborations are anticipated, particularly when there are complementary activities striving to achieve common and mutually beneficial goals and objectives and when foreign institutions provide their own funding. ABIP funding is primarily directed at Canadian organizations and a request for resources for foreign organizations will need to be justified in the context of return on investment to Canadian taxpayers. It is expected that networks will be administered by Canadian entities. Q. What is the difference between a network and a cluster? A. There is no rigid defining line between networks and clusters. For the purposes of the ABIP, networks are organizations that assemble a critical mass of intellectual capacity to address strategic research and innovation opportunities that will help to advance the development of the agricultural bioeconomy in Canada, while a cluster may include allied entities outside, but linked to, the network through development, scale-up, commercialization, marketing, etc. activities. Q. Are there requirements for the composition of networks? A. For the purposes of applications for contribution funding, networks may be comprised of one or more of the following participants: universities and colleges, companies, non-government organizations and non-federal public sector organizations and agencies. Networks may also include federal government departments and agencies and Crown corporations who will receive operating funding. Networks should consider what deliverable(s) they wish to achieve, then work backwards to determine what expertise and resources they will require to achieve it. It is envisioned that multi-organizational collaboration will be the norm, but this is not a requirement of the program. It is recognized that effective interdisciplinary networks can be formed within a single organization. Q. How large does a network have to be? A. It is anticipated that the ABIP will fund possibly as few as 10, and no more than 25, networks. The maximum amount that a network may receive is $25 million over the duration of the program. An individual recipient within a network(s) may receive no more than $15 million over the duration of the program. There is no lower limit on the amount of funding that a network may receive. Smaller, focused networks that can demonstrate a probable return on investment that is proportional to the amount requested will be competitive. 3
Q. How will Intellectual Property (IP) issues be addressed? A. It is anticipated that intellectual property rights will arise as a result of the networks activities, including networks some or all of whose participants will receive contribution funds under the ABIP. Divided ownership or joint ownership of intellectual property rights resulting from network activities will be discouraged. So as not to discourage future use and commercialization of the foreground intellectual property or intellectual property subsequently developed using the foreground intellectual property, recipients, in order to receive transfer funds under the ABIP or in order to enter into a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with AAFC, must agree that they will avoid joint ownership of the foreground intellectual property or, if this is not feasible, they will provide a workable alternative. Network participants including those who receive contribution funds under the ABIP or who enter into a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with AAFC or both, will be required to give nonexclusive research and development licences to the other participants, including such licences in foreground intellectual property that may vest in one participant and in background intellectual property confidential information which may be required for the further research and development of the foreground intellectual property. These other participants may include AAFC and /or other federal departments or agencies. The term of these licenses will exceed the term of the agreements relating to the network development and initial operation. It is anticipated that the commercial value of such non-exclusive research and development licenses will be minimal. Each network agreement that sets out the parameters of the relationship between the Network s participants will include a technology transfer or commercialization plan which will identify which recipient or incorporated network, as the case may be, will own and manage on behalf of all recipients the intellectual property which may arise from the component. Q. What does the word bioproducts include? A. The definition of agricultural bioproducts in the context of ABIP is simple: a commercial or industrial product that is composed in whole, or in significant part, of renewable domestic agricultural materials (including plants, animals, and microorganisms). Recent definitions of biobased products are tending towards restricting the definition to industrial products only, and to specifically exclude food and feed products from the definition; however, for the purposes of the ABIP, network proposals that are focused on biologically active molecules of agricultural origin, and aimed at the development of products that can contribute to improved human and/or animal health, will be potentially eligible for funding. Also included are food or feed products that result as co-products from a bioconversion process(es) that also produces industrial bioproducts (e.g., bioenergy). 4
It is anticipated that the available funding will not permit funds to be dispersed across a wide range of commodities and still result in significant outcomes. Network applicants should consider carefully what impact the intended outcomes of their proposal will have on the agricultural industry and on the economic, social and environmental return on investment to Canada as a whole. In general, it is anticipated that proposals that address ways to achieve significant gains using widely produced crop and livestock species that have traditionally been recognized as falling within the mandate of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will be given a higher priority than minor or less widely produced crops and livestock species. v.1 2007-04-05 5