Since 2020, Quebec has been a pioneer in innovative agricultural technologies and plant bioproducts thanks to the development of Zone Agtech, a localized innovation ecosystem near the city of Montreal in the MRC of L’Assomption. Its mission? It is to intensify the development of clean, efficient and viable innovative technologies to address strong trends weighing on the bio-food chains, particularly supply instability, global warming and 2050 food security.
It was the initiative of the MRC de L’Assomption that led major industry players and influential research organizations to join forces to create Zone Agtech, an innovation ecosystem whose objective is to accelerate the development of Quebec technologies aimed at reducing farming input consumption, valorize residues, optimizing energy efficiency, increasing yields and diversity of fruits and vegetables produced in Quebec and accelerating the production of healthy food with a low carbon footprint.
From left to right: Brad Minchinton, business start-up advisor at CieNOV; Robert Thérien, co-founder of Serres Point du Jour; Sébastien Nadeau, prefect of the MRC de L’Assomption and mayor of the city of L’Assomption; Marilou Cyr, general manager of Zone Agtech; Jocelyn Magnan, co-founder of Serres Point du Jou
Zone Agtech has brought together a community of more than 200 companies and organizations offering an unparalleled pool of expertise, skills and innovative solutions to Quebec businesses in just three years. With this network, Zone Agtech multiplies interactions between companies and players in the ecosystem – research centres, sectoral groups and funding organizations – and pools initiatives more efficiently to increase their impact and development.
By bringing together key players in the same place, Zone Agtech also promotes a creative and avant-garde environment that increases the outlook on technology transfers, scaling up and commercialization of innovations from established companies. Thus, it can make more readily available to companies the services and levers required for the emergence and propulsion of their innovation, such as suitable research and production infrastructures, a pool of qualified experts, funding programs, trade missions, specialized support programs, social & networking activities, structuring projects and a value chain specific to the needs of the industry.
In 2023, Zone Agtech is:
1st : Innovation zone in agtech in Canada and first agtech community in Quebec
250 : Active members and partners in the agtech community in Quebec
10 : Developed corridors outside of Quebec
50+: Networking, co-development, innovation and acceleration activities
5 : International delegations organized per year (hosting and visiting abroad
50+: Companies supported each year, through 5 programs
