Lethbridge Polytechnic will receive funding to support agricultural research projects. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge Polytechnic receives $1.75 million grant to support ag research

Aug 13, 2025 | 11:22 AM

Small and medium-sized enterprises will soon have an easier time completing their research at Lethbridge Polytechnic.

The school will receive $1.75 over five years from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for its Integrated Agriculture Technology Centre (IATC).

Dr. Andrew Dunlop, Associate Vice-President of Research at the Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, says the renewal of their Technology Access Centre grant is a testament to their worth to industry partners across the country.

“We thank our federal partners for this funding as we look to continue using applied research to solve industry problems, particularly around controlled environment agriculture,” says Dunlop.

The IATC provides technical support, training, and applied research services to Alberta’s controlled environment agricultural sector.

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Interested parties have to pay a fee-for-service to access the IATC, and a spokesperson with Lethbridge Polytechnic tells LNN that the funding will allow them to take on more projects from smaller enterprises at “reasonable market rates.”

Lethbridge Polytechnic is part of a network of 60 Technology Access Centres across Canada, with each serving a specific geographic area and strengthening an industry that is specific to that area.

Professor Alajandro Adem, President of NSERC, says nationwide funding will help to advance genomics-driven agricultural innovation, accelerate health sector innovation and accessibility, and strengthen critical minerals research for sustainable mining, among many other areas.

“By supporting research that fuels technological progress and economic growth, this investment ensures impactful collaboration between partners, benefiting industries, communities, and Canadians alike,” says Adem.

You can learn more about the IATC and apply at LethPolyTech.ca