2015-2016
Product Differentiation
Call for Proposals
Guidelines, On-line Application FAQs and Letter of Intent
Working Template
Alberta Livestock & Meat Agency Ltd.
Ellwood Office Park South
1003 Ellwood Road SW
Edmonton Alberta, T6X 0B3
Phone: (780) 638-1699
Fax: (780) 638-6495
www.alma.alberta.ca
Table of Contents
1.0 GUIDELINES ........................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Purpose.................................................................................................................................. 2
1.2 ALMA’s Investment Priority ................................................................................................ 2
1.3 Background ........................................................................................................................... 2
1.4 Objectives ............................................................................................................................. 3
1.5 In Scope ................................................................................................................................ 3
1.6 Out of Scope ......................................................................................................................... 3
1.7 Requirements for Product Differentiation Proposals ............................................................ 3
1.8 Process and Timelines........................................................................................................... 4
2.0 GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION ......................................................................................... 4
2.1 Format and Forms ................................................................................................................. 4
2.2 Eligibility .............................................................................................................................. 5
2.3 Funding Sources.................................................................................................................... 5
2.4 Evaluation Criteria ................................................................................................................ 5
2.5 Intellectual Property .............................................................................................................. 5
2.6 Notice of Collection of Personal Information ....................................................................... 6
Letter of Intent - W o r k i n g C o p y ............................................................................................... 7
Research Funding On-line Application System (RFOAS) - FAQ for Applicants ........................ 13
Setting up and Logging into Your Account .............................................................................. 13
Creating Your Proposal / Editing Your Proposal ..................................................................... 13
Saving Your Work .................................................................................................................... 13
Completing the Proposal ........................................................................................................... 14
Submitting the Proposal ............................................................................................................ 14
Important Information ............................................................................................................... 15
1
1.0 GUIDELINES
1.1 Purpose
The targeted Product Differentiation call for proposals is focused on creating and capturing
opportunities to differentiate Alberta’s livestock and meat products. This will strengthen
Alberta’s competitiveness by enhancing quality, safety, value based attributes and activities that
create better products. The scope extends to projects that advance certification, verification,
audit and traceability capacity.
The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) supports innovation towards the
differentiation of Alberta’s livestock and meat products and enabling the supply chain to
deliver product authenticity and integrity to its consumers. This may include differentiation
within a product category or differentiation of attributes of Alberta’s products from other
jurisdictions.
1.2 ALMA’s Investment Priority
ALMA is a catalyst for stimulating new thinking, new ideas and new approaches to enhance
the reputation, competitiveness and profitability of Alberta’s livestock and meat industry,
and to build relationships among the various stakeholders in the industry. Submissions to the
Product Differentiation call for proposals should target creating new and innovative means
for Alberta’s businesses to market products as superior to alternatives.
1.3 Background
Consumers within Canada and abroad are increasingly focused on understanding where
their food comes from, as well as its nutritional value, quality, safety or uniqueness. It is
difficult for Alberta’s livestock and meat industry to compete in a commodity-based
industry because of cost structure and low-cost global competition. Alberta can promote
unique qualities and product integrity to build confidence and demand in its products. It is
important that Alberta’s industry has access to innovation that allows it to meet the specific
needs of its customers and end-consumers, both domestically and internationally.
Several research reports were consulted to provide direction to the Product Differentiation
targeted call for proposals and to ensure alignment with the needs of Alberta’s livestock and
meat industry. These include:






Canadian Consumer Retail Meat Study; ALMA (2012)
Food and Health Innovation Roadmap; ALMA (2013)
National Beef Quality Audit; Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (2010/11)
Power of Meat; Food Marketing Institute (2015)
Five Game-Changing Consumer Trends; Business Development Bank of Canada (2013)
The Canadian Consumer: Behaviour, Attitudes and Perceptions Toward Food Products;
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (2010)
2
1.4 Objectives
The objective of the 2015-2016 Product Differentiation call for proposals is to support the
development and application of differentiated livestock and meat products through the use
of new technologies, tools, conceptual research (including proof-of-concept), applied
research and pilot studies within an industry facility and/or a public institution.
This call for proposals is designed to:
 Accelerate research that will lead to the introduction of new, innovative and
competitive traits and attributes to differentiate Alberta’s meat and livestock products.
 Support innovation that results in the delivery of a unique and targeted Alberta
advantage.
Key long-term outcomes for this program are improved competitiveness, profitability and
preference for Alberta’s livestock and meat industry. Examples may include:
 enhanced tenderness and eating experience,
 enhanced capacity to measure attributes in real-time,
 reduction of sodium in processed meat products,
 smart labels, and/or
 enhanced health attributes.
For more information, please view the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency’s Business Plan
at ALMA 2014-17 Business Plan or contact an ALMA Program Manager.
1.5 In Scope
The targeted call for proposals gives priority to projects that deliver:
1. Products or technologies that differentiate Alberta products based on:
a. Quality attributes,
b. Safety attributes,
c. Value-based attributes, and/or
d. Nutritional attributes.
2. Capacity for audit, verification and traceability: New technologies and capacity for
information flow, management and data collection.
3. Innovative product development on form, function or targeting of end products:
a. Enhanced and novel packaging technologies,
b. Enhanced shelf-life and storage, and/or
c. Innovative product formulations.
1.6 Out of Scope
•
•
Marketing activities
Commercialization activities (ex. patenting, registration)
1.7 Requirements for Product Differentiation Proposals
1. Demonstrate how the project will create value or opportunity for Alberta’s meat and
livestock industry as it responds to changing consumer preferences and expectations.
2. Demonstration of collaboration:
3
a. Preference will be given to projects demonstrating collaboration across
departments and/or institutions at a provincial, national or international level (if
appropriate).
b. Applicants should indicate that the project has secured industry support (cash
and/or in-kind). Letters of support should be attached to the full proposal.
3. Description of the economic impact of the project, such as:
a. Alignment to consumer preferences,
b. Return on investment, or
c. Market potential.
4. A well-developed technology transfer plan through scientific communication and/or
appropriate extension/industry activities.
1.8 Process and Timelines
1. Grants can be up to 3 years in duration, and should commence by March 1st, 2016.
2. Letters of Intent (LOI) are invited from applicants wishing to participate in the program.
Information can be found on the ALMA website under Programs. Each LOI must be
submitted through the on-line system, which can be found at
www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca/ALMA/Account . Applicants who submit LOIs that
are approved will then be invited to submit a full proposal.
3. Applicants may request funding for one of two tiers or types of projects. Tier I will be
for smaller, innovative proof-of-concept ideas. The funding request for Tier I proposals
will be capped at $150,000 over a maximum of 2 years. Tier II funding requests for
larger, multidisciplinary projects will be capped at $500,000 over a maximum of 3 years.
Increases in the full proposal budget from the LOI budget will not be considered unless
accompanied by adequate justification or requested by ALMA.
4. Timeframe:
a. May 7, 2015:
Call for proposals announced.
b. June 25, 2015, 4:30 pm:
LOIs due. Late submissions will not be accepted.
c. July 8, 2015:
Applicants with successful LOIs will be notified.
d. September 10, 2015, 4:30 pm: Full proposals due. Late submissions will not be
accepted.
e. December 16, 2015:
All applicants notified on or before of funding
decisions.
2.0 GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION
2.1 Format and Forms
The instructions for using the on-line application system can be found on page 16. An LOI
template (Word 2010) is provided at the end of this document for convenience. Once the
LOI portion of the process is complete, the full proposal form will be made available only to
successful applicants invited to submit a full proposal. All LOIs must be submitted at
www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca/ALMA/Account. Letters of Support are not considered
at this point. Please indicate any committee funding under the Budget Commentary section
of the LOI. The "Help" link provides the detailed information under each section.
4
2.2 Eligibility
Applicants must be eligible under either ALMA’s Research and Development Terms and
Conditions or ALMA's Industry and Market Development Program Terms and Conditions.
In addition to the Eligibility requirements above, there will be a cap on the funding requested
for training of students. The maximum amount requested to ALMA for a M.Sc. student will
be $21,000/year and for a Ph.D. student will be $25,000/year. Please note that indirect
overhead costs, and taxes are not an eligible expense.
Applicants must be prepared to provide documentation outlining the organization’s
governance structure if requested.
2.3 Funding Sources
Applicants are encouraged to obtain other sources of financial support for the project from
stakeholders that are likely to benefit from the results of the proposed research and
innovation. The application should include details of potential and confirmed partners.
ALMA may share the submitted LOIs with other funding agencies if permission is granted
to do so by the applicant. Upon submission of the LOI, an email requesting this consent
will be automatically generated back to the applicant.
ALMA will require written confirmation of contributors and their investment, whether cash
or in-kind contributions, to the research outlined in the full proposal. This confirmation will
be required with the submission of the full proposal.
2.4 Evaluation Criteria
Applications received through the Product Differentiation call for proposals will be
evaluated based on the innovativeness of the ideas, the potential to impact the Alberta
livestock and meat sector, degree of collaboration and excellence of the project.
The proposals will be confidentially reviewed by external scientific and/or industrial
reviewers, and further reviewed through ALMA’s technical review committees for
recommendation of funding. Depending on the amount of funding requested, ALMA’s
Programs and Services Committee may also review the proposal for approval of funding.
All approved proposals will enter into an investment agreement with ALMA according to
the terms and conditions governing the specific program area in which the proposal was
approved. Please consult the ALMA website (www.alma.alberta.ca/Programs) for the
specific program terms and conditions.
2.5 Intellectual Property
Intellectual property developed and owned by the applicant must be managed by the
applicant.
5
2.6 Notice of Collection of Personal Information
The personal information provided through this process will be used to process the
applications through the 2015-2016 ALMA Product Differentiation Call. This may require
sharing your information confidentially with external reviewers to assist with the evaluation
process. This information is collected under the authority of section 33 (c) and 34 (1)(a)(i)
of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act. If you have any
questions about the collection and use of this information, contact the Alberta Livestock and
Meat Agency, Suite 101, 1003 Ellwood Road SW, Edmonton AB, T6X 0B3; by telephone
780-638-1699; by fax 780-638-6495.
For questions regarding the Research and Development Program, please contact:
Dr. Susan Novak, Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives
Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency Ltd.
Suite 101, 1003 Ellwood Office Park South
Edmonton, AB T6X 0B3
Phone: 780-638-1924
Fax: 780-638-6495
susan.novak@almaltd.ca
Mr. Clinton Dobson, Senior Manager, Research and Policy
Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency Ltd.
Suite 101, 1003 Ellwood Office Park South
Edmonton, AB T6X 0B3
Phone: 780-638-1690
Fax: 780-638-6495
clinton.dobson@almaltd.ca
For questions regarding the Industry and Market Development Program, please
contact:
Mr. Jake Kotowich, Executive Director, Industry Investments
Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency Ltd.
Suite 101, 1003 Ellwood Office Park South
Edmonton, AB T6X 0B3
Phone: 780-638-1680
Fax: 780-638-6495
Jake.Kotowich@almaltd.ca
Mr. Cody Cunningham, Senior Manager, Industry Investments
Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency Ltd.
3rd Floor, 4920-51 Street
Provincial Building
Red Deer AB T4N 6K8
Phone: 403-340-7089
Cody.cunningham@gov.ab.ca
6
2015-2016
Production Differentiation Call for Proposal
Letter of Intent - Working Copy
DO NOT submit this document as an application.
This document can be used as a working copy for your LOI. The information can then be cut
and pasted into the online application form. Applications will be accepted only through the
electronic application system at www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca under the 2015-2016
Production Differentiation Call for Proposals. The submission deadline is June 25, 2015 at 4:30
p.m.
Notice of Collection of Personal Information
The personal information you provide through this application process will be used to process
your application through the 2015-2016 Production Differentiation Call. This may require
sharing your information confidentiality with external reviewers to assist with the evaluation
process. This information is collected under the authority of section 33 (c) and 34 (1)(a)(i) of the
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) Act and is protected by the privacy
provisions of this Act. If you have any questions about the collection and use of this
information, contact the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, Suite 101, 1003 Ellwood Road
SW, Edmonton AB, T6X 0B3; by telephone 780-638-1699; by fax 780-638-6495.
Contact information regarding
Program Information: Clinton Dobson, Senior Manager, Research and Policy at 780-638-1690
or Clinton.Dobson@almaltd.ca
On-Line Application: Tracy Bowers at 780-614-1486, or Tracy.Bowers@almaltd.ca
7
Letter of Intent - Wo rking Copy
SECTION 1 - OVERVIEW
The targeted Product Differentiation call for proposals is focused on creating and capturing
opportunities to differentiate Alberta’s livestock and meat products. This will strengthen Alberta’s
competitiveness by enhancing quality, safety, value based attributes and activities that create better
products. The scope extends to projects that advance certification, verification, audit and traceability
capacity.
The Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) supports innovation towards the
differentiation of Alberta’s livestock and meat products and enabling the supply chain to deliver
product authenticity and integrity to its consumers. This may include differentiation within a
product category or differentiation of attributes of Alberta’s products from other jurisdictions.
For the purpose of co-funding, your LOI may be disclosed to the Funding Consortium members
www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca and/or other Alberta based funding agencies. If you do not
want your LOI disclosed to other funding agencies, email Tracy.Bowers@almaltd.ca. Consent is
implied if there is no response.
LOIs and full proposals are reviewed on an on-going basis. The review process typically takes
between 3-4 months from submission of LOI to reach a funding decision by ALMA. Only a pdf
copy of the signature(s) is required. They can be emailed to Tracy.Bowers@almaltd.ca or by
fax 780-638-6495. All applicants will be notified of the status of their full proposal by email.
The Terms and Conditions for the Research and Development Program can be found here; and
all submissions to the Research and Development Program directly or through targeted calls
adhere to these Terms and Conditions. Guidelines for the individual targeted calls can be found
with the calls themselves.
SECTION 2 – PROJECT TEAM
[Help] Ensure your address information is correct and complete as it will be used for your
mailing address.
Project Team Leader:
Position:
Lead Organization:
Address:
City:
Province/Country:
Postal Code:
Phone Number:
Fax Number:
E-mail Address:
8
Degrees Certificates/Diplomas and Institution Received from, including year
received
Publications and Patents
[Help] Number of refereed papers, relevant patents obtained, conference proceedings, and
relevant publications from the last five years.
Other Productivity
[Help] Administrative roles, grants held, awards received, etc.
Co-Investigator(s)
[Help] It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure each Co-Investigator is aware that his or her
personal information is a part of this application submission. All co-investigators must consent
to working on the team prior to submission. Use the grid below to add the first/last/institution
name of the team member. Personnel who will be paid out of the grant (e.g., students, postdoctoral fellows, research associates and technicians) should not be listed in this section.
Co-Investigator(s) Names(s):
Institution / Company
SECTION 3 - PROJECT DETAILS
Project Title:
[Help] Provide a clear, descriptive title for the proposed project. The project title MUST
remain the same on the Letter of Intent and the Full Proposal Application (unless a change is
requested by the lead funder), otherwise the funding application will be automatically rejected.
(150 characters including spaces)
Overall Objectives and Key Results
[Help] Clearly describe the project objective and key results of the project. Outline the reasons
the proposed project is needed and how the project will move industry priorities forward. (Do
not exceed 1000 characters including spaces)
9
Project Description and Scope
[Help] Describe the context and the need for the proposed research, as well as, providing a brief
overview of the proposed activities, scope and approaches that will be taken. (Do not exceed
3200 characters including spaces)
Benefit to the Industry – Capacity Development and Knowledge Enhancement
[Help] Describe how the proposed project supports the differentiation of Alberta’s livestock and
meat products and has the potential to create value for Alberta’s livestock industry or the
differentiation of Alberta’s livestock and meat industry. Quantify the opportunity and potential
market value and relevance of the research, e.g., “Sodium use is a concern of consumers and
research has the potential to reduce sodium use by 25%, which would be an important
advantage for Alberta’s processed meats manufacturing industry.” (Do not exceed 3200
characters including spaces)
Project Start Date:
[Help] Indicate the start date on which the project is anticipated to begin or when expenses are
to be incurred. MM/DD/YYYY. This date must not be later than 03/01/2016.
Project Completion Date:
[Help] Indicate the end date on which the project expenses are anticipated to be completed.
MM/DD/YYYY. This date must not be later than 02/28/2019.
Funding Request: (Indicate any confirmed funding)
[Help] Government sources include any federal or provincial government funding as well as
university contributions. If an LOI is successful, the applicant will need to identify partners that
have been secured or that will be pursued.
a. ALMA:
b. Industry Cash:
c. Industry In-kind:
d. Other Government Cash:
e. Other Government In-kind:
Total Project Cost:
10
Budget Commentary
[Help] Provide a detailed description of the project budget and be sure to provide specifics
regarding supplies, personnel, travel, equipment, etc. Indicate confirmed funding. Overhead
and Taxes (GST, PST and HST) are not eligible expenses. (Do not exceed 3200 characters
including spaces) (Do not exceed 3200 characters including spaces)
11
PART 3 – SUGGESTED REVIEWERS
Provide the names and contact information of four potential reviewers that are independent/noncollaborators that can provide a review from a scientific and/or industry perspective. ALMA
reserves the right to choose other reviewers. Under Section 34 of the Freedom of Information
and Protection Act (FOIP) reviewers must be aware that their information is being collected and
used for the purpose of the external review assessment.
Reviewer #1
Name:
Position:
Institution:
Address:
Phone Number:
Fax Number:
Email Address:
Reviewer #2
Name:
Position:
Institution:
Address:
Phone Number:
Fax Number:
Email Address:
Reviewer #3
Name:
Position:
Institution:
Address:
Phone Number:
Fax Number:
Email Address:
Reviewer #4
Name:
Position:
Institution:
Address:
Phone Number:
Fax Number:
Email Address:
Please carefully review for accuracy and completeness and then submit your proposal.
12
Research Funding On-line Application System (RFOAS) - FAQ for
Applicants
https://www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca/ALMA/Account
Setting up and Logging into Your Account



I am a new user, how do I sign up for an account?
 To sign up for an account go to
https://www.fundingconsortium.gov.ab.ca/ALMA/Account. Under “New Users”
enter your information then click “REGISTER”.
How can I delete my account?
 If you would like to delete your account, please email Tracy.Bowers@almaltd.ca.
I have an account but forgot my password, how do I find it?
Click on “Forgot your password?” enter your email address and a password will
be emailed to you.
Creating Your Proposal / Editing Your Proposal





To create a NEW proposal (i.e. letter of intent or full proposal), select one of the current
initiatives listed below.
The logo of the lead Funding Agency is in front of the initiative name.
To access a CURRENT proposal, that requires further work or editing, click on the tab
‘My Proposals’ above.
To access a letter-of-intent that has been accepted and a full proposal submission has
been requested, click on the tab ‘My Proposals’.
Click on the (?) near the title to see additional information and a further description of
each section of the application.
Saving Your Work
There are three ways to save the data while filling out the proposal:
 Navigate through the footer links (click to the next or previous page of proposal)
 Navigate through the left links (proposal contents)
 Click on the ‘Quick Save’ link at the top of the page
 If you log off or close the webpage without performing one of these three actions, the
information typed into the page will NOT be saved.
 Because this is a web-based application, it is strongly recommended that you save
your work often. A web-based application will TIME-OUT after a few minutes of
inactivity. If this happens you will be prompted to log back into the application, and
any unsaved work will be lost.
13
Completing the Proposal





Please keep your answers for each section brief and to the point. There is a box at the
bottom of each section that counts the number of characters that you have entered. It is
the applicant’s responsibility to keep answers within the recommended number of
characters for each section.
Proposals exceeding the character count will be arbitrarily TRUNCATED or REJECTED
when being reviewed by the Funders.
If you use the MS Word template available on the Funding Consortium website to cutand-paste your proposal text to the online form, please avoid using symbols and text
formatting (bold, italics, etc.) as these will not carry over reliably into the online
application.
Please review the online application form for EACH INITIATIVE, the form may vary
from the MS Word, Funding Consortium template.
Character count if cutting and pasting from another document.
 Many of the sections are limited for length of text. If you exceed the character
count in any of the sections, the funders reserve the right to reject your
application.
 Go to the end of the pasted text, add a space and then the document counter will
count the characters.
 The online system will provide you with the character count. If you are cutting
and pasting from a word document onto the form, you must also manually type a
character for the on-line counter to work.
 To view the number of characters in a paragraph in MS Word 2007 and 2010
click Review > Word Count. To review the number of characters in Word Version
2003 click Tools > Word Count.
 Generally, 3800 characters including spaces is equivalent to 1 page
 The on-line system will reformat scientific nomenclature which uses subscripts,
superscripts, bold and italic formats to regular text.
Submitting the Proposal



When the proposal is complete, click the "Submit" button on the final page to submit the
proposal to the lead Funding Agency.
Once your proposal has been submitted, you will receive an automated email reply to
confirm that your proposal has been successfully submitted. Please also check your
spam/junk email folder for this message.
If you do not receive an automated message acknowledging submission of your proposal,
please contact the lead Funding Agency for the initiative.
14
Important Information


This web-based application is NOT intended for online collaboration. It is
recommended, that during proposal development you collaborate using other methods
and then cut-and-paste the final text into the online application.
The "Help" link provides the detailed information under each section.
15