Projects ready to launch once financial deal with Ottawa is complete.OTTAWA—Protein Industries Canada (PIC) will reach out from its Prairie base to farm groups and agriculture researchers in the rest of Canada once its financial contribution agreement with the federal government is complete, says Bob Tyler of the University of Saskatchewan.Tyler, Professor of Food and Bioproduct Services, said once the contribution agreement is signed, “PIC very much intends to, and needs to, engage partners and collaborators Canada-wide, and internationally where opportunities exist.”While it has just appointed Bill Greuel as CEO and has a nine member interim board of directors composed of figures well known in Western Canada, it needs to wrap up the contribution agreement with Ottawa, which Tyler said is imminent, and hire staff.Among the open positions are chief operating officer, chief marketing officer and chief science officer. With a lot of staff and the contribution agreement, “there has been very little capacity to reach out,” Tyler said.Farm groups in Ontario and elsewhere say they've been waiting to hear more about promises that PIC will benefit agriculture and food companies across the country.PIC has been awarded $153 million in funding from the federal superclusters program that will be matched with private sector investment from 120 private-sector companies, academic institutions, and other supporters. Its goal is to develop the potential of growing, processing and exporting plant-based proteins from crops such as pulses, hemp, oats, wheat, canola, and flax. PIC has secured about $400 million worth of support from its members.“What we have a $600 million opportunity over the next 4 to 5 years to grow our sector, he said in a presentation to a research symposium organized by the Agricultural Institute of Canada. “A lot of behind the scenes work has been going to bring the contribution agreement to completion.”Once it is, “there are a couple of projects that will be ready to go in the New Year,” he said. “There will be significant initiatives with canola.” It will also release a document that outlines its growth strategy and international market development plans for the coming years. It will also be commissioning research at institutions across the country including the Guelph, McGill and Dalhousie universities.PIC's four pillars are create, grow, make and sell, Tyler said. The pillars show the need for research, increase production, new food and feed products and international market development.“We want to make Canada the preferred place for plant protein companies to locate,” he said. It's expected that by 2050, about one third of the global population's protein requirements will come from plant-based sources.“There's a large potential for adding value to our crops in Canada.” To reach the country's potential will require a lot more crop research, he said. “We also have to think about what consumers will be want to see in the marketplace. There are real advantages for us and we need to take advantage of them.”Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.