Collaborative R&D Innovation Brings Canada-wide Benefits
The Technology Leadership Program is Protein Industries Canada’s flagship investment stream. Focused on advancing R&D efforts across Canada’s agrifood sector collaboratively—reducing risk while addressing the needs of the full value chain, from farm to dinner plate—the Technology Leadership Program has been in place since Protein Industries Canada’s launch in 2018. Its evolution in the second fund continued in the 2024-25 fiscal, seeing the launch of several new projects that will help Canada meet consumer demand for new protein options around the globe.
The ability to meet this demand goes hand in hand with Canada’s ability to meet its full agrifood potential. As companies across the value chain develop new technologies, ingredients, finished food products and co-products, they’re creating new economic prosperity for Canada while strengthening our domestic food supply chain. The combined result is more jobs for Canadians, a more reliable ingredient supply, a more sustainable food system and a potential $25 billion boost to our annual GDP.
These benefits start with R&D conducted in facilities across Canada, done in part through our Technology Leadership Program. In the 2024-25 fiscal, Protein Industries Canada approved 11 new projects under this program stream, bringing us to 26 projects approved under the second tranche of the program as of March 31, 2025. This brought our full Technology Leadership Program commitment to $266.1 million as of the end of the 2024-25 fiscal; of this total, Protein Industries Canada committed $101.2 million, with industry and other partners committing the remainder.
The approved projects draw on a range of expertise from companies across the value chain. Most bring new partners into Protein Industries Canada’s portfolio, including several under our initiative with Innovate UK. Within this initiative is a project focused on expanding the use of lupin as an ingredient within Canada and the UK, as well as a project that expands the use of animal-free collagen, including in meat alternatives and pet food. Outside of our UK-partnered projects, companies are looking at expanding soy processing in Canada and developing new oat, pea and fava ingredients.
Together, these projects are helping Canada claim its spot as the global leader in value-added agrifood, while reaching its full $25 billion potential.
Explore all our Technology Leadership projects
524
anticipated jobs (FTEs) created through Technology Leadership projects
219
anticipated IP assets through Technology Leadership projects
Growing a business with a new-to-Canada crop
The rising global demand for alternative sources of protein has increased opportunity for non-traditional crops throughout Canada. Alongside Canada’s world-renowned supply of lentils and peas is now a growing supply of protein-rich crops such as fava, hemp and lupin.
“Lupin has significant potential as a protein ingredient for several reasons,” said Lupin Platform CEO Tristan Choi. “Its protein content is notably high—comparable to soy, which is a leading source of plant-based protein. This makes it a valuable option in the rapidly growing plant-based food sector, where demand for protein alternatives is surging.”
For the past four years, the Lupin Platform team has been focused on expanding the opportunity for lupin development across Canada. By working with farmers, the company can ensure the versatile bean has the characteristics needed to become a functional protein ingredient—meeting the taste, texture and nutritional needs consumers are looking for.
Through this work, Choi and his team have developed uses for lupin in a variety of meat alternatives, protein shakes, baked goods and dairy substitutes, as well as livestock feed. Though still growing in popularity, the bean shows promise as an ingredient in all areas, particularly for its nutritional components.
“Lupin has a low glycemic index, making it ideal for diabetic-friendly or health-conscious products. Additionally, it is nono-GMO, gluten-free, and rich in fibre and essential nutrients, further enhancing its appeal in functional food applications,” Choi said.
At the same time, lupin has additional characteristics that positively impact livestock production.
“Some dairy producers are looking for alternatives to canola and soybean meal protein supplements to mitigate methane and improve livestock production,” said Lupin Platform’s Director of Lupin Protein Development Alphonsus Utioh. “Studies have shown lupin seed meal supplemented to dairy cow diet improves butterfat concentration of the milk and decreases methane production in cows’ digestion. A similar study conducted by Lupin Platform showed a slight improvement in milk production.”
With such opportunity ahead, the Lupin Platform team has had plenty of success attracting collaborative partnerships to advance their R&D work. This includes domestic partnerships with Canadian producers, processors and retailers, as well as international organizations to help grow the market globally.
It also helps address some of the challenges associated with growing and processing the bean. A particular challenge, Choi explained, is Canada’s growing season.
“Lupin's late maturity can be a challenge in regions with shorter growing seasons, as it limits the crop’s adaptability in cooler climate,” he said. “We have screened over 25 different varieties over the span of decades to identify earlier-maturing varieties that can thrive in a broader range of Canadian growing climates, including those with shorter growing windows.”
Despite such challenges, the Lupin Platform team has made significant progress in expanding the crop’s popularity and use across the ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bioproducts ecosystem. And that popularity is only expected to grow.
“[We] can say that we have successfully brought lupin as a protein crop into [the] North American market,” Utioh said. “Through toll manufacturers, we are producing and marketing lupin flour and protein isolate in the food industry. We had four years of drought and somewhat challenging growing conditions, but we are building a resilient group of growers to successfully work through those challenges and increase the farming footprints in Canada.”
As Lupin Platform builds its brand and its supply chain, the team expects to centralize their work under a single facility in Canada. Based on their work so far, it won’t be long before that facility is contributing to the growing success of Canada’s ingredient manufacturing, food processing and bioproducts sector.
