The Government of Manitoba and EIT Food have agreed a five-year framework aimed at strengthening research, innovation and knowledge exchange between the Canadian province and Europe, potentially creating new opportunities for Manitoba’s potato growers and processors.

The agreement between EIT Food and Manitoba Agriculture will explore research activities, innovation programmes and other initiatives connecting companies, researchers and institutions on both sides of the Atlantic.

Although the framework covers Manitoba’s wider agrifood sector rather than potatoes specifically, the province has a substantial potato production and processing industry. Manitoba government data identifies McCain Foods and Simplot in Portage la Prairie, together with Old Dutch Foods and Naleway Foods in Winnipeg, among its major potato processors.

Manitoba exported CAD875 million worth of potatoes and potato products in 2024, with frozen potato products accounting for 93.3% of the total, according to provincial government figures.

Under the new framework, Manitoba Agriculture and EIT Food will explore opportunities connected with Horizon Europe, including participation in research consortia, partnerships, funding programmes, pilots and demonstration activities where eligible.

The organisations also plan to develop links between European and Manitoba-based companies, innovators and research organisations, while examining investment readiness, knowledge exchange and EIT Food’s model for collaboration between academia, industry and entrepreneurship.

“Manitoba’s producers and processors are the backbone of our rural economy, and this collaboration strengthens the tools they need to stay competitive in a global market. By linking our innovation ecosystem with Europe’s largest agrifood network, we’re opening doors for new research, new technologies and new market opportunities that directly benefit Manitoba farms, local businesses and communities,” Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn said.

The agreement is designed to work in both directions, providing Manitoba organisations with connections to European research and commercial networks while giving European innovators opportunities to engage with Manitoba’s agricultural and food-processing sector.

The initiative follows an EIT Food partnership with Canadian organisation AgSphere announced in May 2026, covering startup exchanges, skills development and wider cooperation between Canadian and European agrifood innovation communities.

EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a body of the European Union.