Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem (CAPE)
A 12-partner effort to kickstart a cellular agriculture applied research and innovation ecosystem on the Canadian Prairies.
2025 - Ongoing
As an emerging industry, cellular agriculture has yet to be adequately connected to regional agricultural supply chains that could provide the necessary ingredients for growing different types of cells.
This project, supported by PrairiesCan and Alberta Innovates, aims to build a cellular agriculture research and innovation ecosystem in the Prairies by prototyping local agricultural resources as biomanufacturing inputs while building out local talent and research infrastructure. It leverages existing local competitive advantages: agricultural, manufacturing, and research excellence, plus New Harvest’s field-building expertise to drive economic development and global competitiveness.
Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem (CAPE)
Overview
CAPE is a three-year project focused on coordinated biomanufacturing/cellular agriculture (BM/CA) ecosystem-building activities centred in the Prairies to connect BM/CA innovators with local agricultural resources and expertise.
The CAD$2.4 million project is led by New Harvest in collaboration with 12 partners from industry and academia that will form the CAPE consortium.
If successful, CAPE could be the first of many steps toward agricultural circularity, reducing food production emissions, and adopting local crops and supply chains to decrease reliance on unsustainable imported goods, while building a resilient, locally driven food system.
Objective 1
Building BM/CA research and innovation capacity by mapping and activating infrastructure for talent and technology development
2025 - Ongoing
Objective 2
Building research-driven platforms to connect BM/CA technology development to local agricultural supply chains
2025 - Ongoing
Objective 3
Strengthening the local BM/CA ecosystem through network building and knowledge mobilization to facilitate global awareness and collaboration
2025 - Ongoing
Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem (CAPE)
Impact
Read PrairiesCan press release announcing CAD$1M investment in CAPE.
Our press release can also be found here.
Four postdoctoral researchers and two PhDs have been recruited as part of the DERISC Fellowship.
ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS
Market Analysis
Valorizing co-products of main crops grown in the Prairies for cellular agriculture and food biomanufacturing.
DERISC Fellowship
Defining, Enhancing, and Refining Agricultural Inputs and the Supply Chains of Cellular Agriculture and Biomanufacturing of Food Fellowship.
In collaboration with Meyland Advisors, New Harvest is working on a report to:
Understand the broader market and economic context for food biomanufacturing in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, in relation to the crops that comprise traditional prairie agriculture.
Assess the potential use of co-products from these crops for food biomanufacturing innovation.
Provide insights to guide public and private stakeholders in strategic planning and investment.
This project is part of the Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem
2025- Ongoing
In collaboration with the University of Alberta, the University of Manitoba, Dalhousie University, and Lethbridge Polytechnic, we will fund nine PhDs and postdoctoral researchers who will bridge the gap between the agricultural sector and cellular agriculture or food biomanufacturing SMEs. They will explore how to valorize agricultural byproducts to obtain inputs for different food biomanufacturing processes.
This project is part of the Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem
2025- Ongoing
Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem (CAPE)
Progress Timeline
May 2025 - Kick off of the DERISC Fellowship with the first six fellows
March 2025 - Prairies Economic Development (PrairiesCan) announces a CAD$1M investment in CAPE, and the CAPE Advisory Board meets for the first time
Jan 2025 - New Harvest launches the Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem project, and hires Miranda Stahn as our new Program Manager for Western Canada
Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem (CAPE)
Collaborators
Cellular Agriculture Prairies Ecosystem (CAPE)
Funders
CAPE is pubic-private partnership supported by diverse funders: Prairies Economic Development (PrairiesCan), Alberta Innovates, Mitacs, and New Harvest’s philanthropic donors.
Contact
If you have questions or would like to get in touch regarding CAPE, please contact Miranda Stahn at miranda@new-harvest.org