Innovation Saskatchewan Invests $170,000 in Research and Development Technologies in Composting and Crop Pathogen Testing

Released on April 30, 2024

Innovation Saskatchewan is investing $170,000 in two industry-led research and development (R&D) technologies through the Saskatchewan Advantage Innovation Fund (SAIF) and Agtech Growth Fund (AGF).

These dual R&D grant programs accelerate the commercialization of game-changing technologies in agriculture, mining, energy, manufacturing and health care and help bring them to market.

"Saskatchewan companies are leaders in innovation and the advancement of cutting-edge technologies," Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan Jeremy Harrison said. "The SAIF and AGF programs support companies in our province's core sectors to accelerate their technologies, driving job creation and economic growth."

SAIF and AGF funding will support two innovative companies in the spring 2023 cohort as they accelerate their R&D projects and commercialization efforts:

BrewNature Composting - Developing a modular composting technology capable of reducing composting times from three months to five days ($95,000 in SAIF support).  

PathoScan Technologies - Developing a rapid crop pathogen diagnostic technology. PathoScan's in-field device will be capable of detecting pathogens in as little as 45 minutes ($75,000 in AGF support).

BrewNature specializes in converting organic household, commercial and agricultural waste into nutrient-rich compost 95 per cent faster than traditional methods. The SAIF funding will be used to advance BrewNature's technology and enable it to upscale its operations, enhance its composting processes and develop innovative solutions for organic waste management.

"By leveraging SAIF funding, BrewNature aims to have a significant impact on mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with organic waste decomposition and promoting sustainable practices in waste management," Brew Nature CEO & Founder Babak Roshani said. "We are excited about the environmental benefits of our composting technology and its impact on and contribution to the circular economy."

BrewNature also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding at COP28 with an UAE-based company to introduce and advance innovation in composting technology.

PathoScan enables farmers to perform pathogen tests for any crop with its user-friendly testing kits that deliver fast, accurate and cost-effective results while ensuring a seamless user experience. The AGF funding will help refine this technology through comprehensive field testing to ensure its device is robust and effective under different agricultural conditions.

"The AGF funding and support from Innovation Saskatchewan will catalyze our mission at PathoScan to empower farmers with immediate, in-field crop disease diagnostics, drastically reducing response times and safeguarding livelihoods," PathoScan Founder Tayab Soomro said. "By minimizing crop losses due to disease, PathoScan will help sustain the agricultural economy, ensure food security and foster a more sustainable approach to farming."

The announcement took place in Regina at Ground Truth Ag, a Spring 2022 recipient of AGF funding for its automated grain grading technology, which significantly improves the process of obtaining and grading grain samples and delivers accurate and consistent results that eliminate discrepancies and save time and money for farmers.  

"AGF funding helped us significantly speed up the development time of our automated grain grading product by allowing us to add infrastructure, advance field testing and enhance our academic partnerships," Ground Truth Ag CEO Kyle Folk said. "We were able to get to market faster and with a more complete product."

Since 2012, SAIF has committed over $14.7 million in 59 projects, resulting in more than $50 million in private investment and $103 million in post-project investment. Similarly, since AGF launched in 2020, the program has invested over $4.4 million in 23 projects, resulting in more than $19.4 million in private investment and $25.3 million in post-project investment.

For more information about SAIF and AGF, visit: www.innovationsask.ca.

-30-

For more information, contact: