Agri-Food Innovation Council

What Agri-Food Innovation Council does

Agri-Food Innovation Council (AIC) is a Canadian non-profit membership organization headquartered at 78 George Street, Suite 204 in Ottawa, Ontario. Founded in 1920 as the Agricultural Institute of Canada and rebranded to its current name in 2017, AIC positions itself as a unifying voice for cross-sectoral research and innovation across the Canadian agri-food value chain. The organization operates with a lean staff of 1-10 employees and is governed by a Board of Directors elected by its members, with Serge Buy serving as CEO and Dr. Wilf Keller as Vice President of Outreach as of recent disclosures.

AIC's core service portfolio is content-, event-, and policy-driven rather than technology-driven. Its offerings comprise (i) a publications library covering the Canadian Agricultural Innovation System, agricultural research policy, dissemination best practices, conference reports, and a Gender Equality & Mainstreaming Digest; (ii) the AIC Weekly Notes newsletter (free to members, $75/year to non-members); (iii) a calendar of events including the flagship AIC Conference (most recently AIC Conference 2027 – Nation Building 2.0, AI-powered agri-food, May 17-18, 2027 at Sheraton Ottawa), national meetings, spring engagement sessions, and a six-part webinar series; (iv) a membership program providing liability insurance and exclusive resources; (v) a sector job board; and (vi) policy position statements on effective funding, collaboration, public trust, fiscal framework, and equity/inclusion. There are no patents, proprietary technology platforms, or software products; the tech footprint is limited to a WordPress website, a Shopify storefront for memberships and registrations, and Eventbrite for event ticketing.

Revenue mechanics rest on three streams: recurring membership fees (tiered benefits), one-time event registration (member vs. non-member pricing, e.g., $550-$700+ tax for the 2027 conference), and recurring newsletter subscriptions to non-members. AIC also participates in a BMO Affinity Card financial partnership that may generate ancillary income. The organization does not publicly disclose revenue figures and has not raised institutional funding rounds; it is financed organically through member dues and event income. Member composition is concentrated in Canadian agricultural trade associations, federal/provincial government bodies, and academic institutions, with named members including CropLife Canada, Beef Cattle Research Council, Canadian Meat Council, Manitoba Pork, Pulse Canada, AgWest Bio, Alberta Innovates, Global Institute for Food Security, and the University of Manitoba Faculty of Agricultural & Food Sciences. The September 2024 Special Members Meeting and appointment of a new Board of Directors indicate an active strategic repositioning.

Name

Agri-Food Innovation Council

Legal name

Agri-Food Innovation Council

Website

https://aic.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Agri-Food Innovation Council (AIC) is a Canadian non-profit membership organization founded in 1920 and headquartered in Ottawa that serves as a unifying voice for agri-food research and innovation across industry, government, and academia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees providing access to AIC Weekly Notes newsletter, member-exclusive content, and event registration discounts.
2. Event Registration: Revenue from conference and engagement session registrations, with tiered pricing for members versus non-members.
3. Weekly Notes Subscription: Non-members can subscribe to the AIC Weekly Notes newsletter for $75 plus applicable taxes annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Agri-Food Innovation Council (AIC) is a membership-based nonprofit industry organization that provides advocacy, knowledge dissemination, networking, and collaboration services to Canada's agri-food research and innovation sector. It delivers these through publications, policy position statements, the AIC Weekly Notes newsletter, annual conferences and events, webinars, a job board, and a membership program that includes liability insurance for members.

Product overview

Agri-Food Innovation Council (AIC) is a membership-based industry organization (not a product company) that serves as a unifying voice for cross-sectoral research and innovation in Canada's agri-food sector. Founded in 1920, AIC offers a suite of services including publications (research reports, policy frameworks, conference reports, Gender Equality Digest), events (annual conferences, engagement sessions, webinars), membership with benefits and liability insurance, a job board, and policy position statements. The organization does not offer software products or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AIC Publications Comprehensive collection of reports, policy frameworks, conference reports, presentations, and the Gender Equality & Mainstreaming Digest serving researchers, policymakers, and agri-food industry stakeholders in Canada.
• AIC Weekly Notes Weekly electronic newsletter delivering the latest agriculture news, job postings, and events to subscribers in the Canadian agricultural research and innovation sector.
• Events and Conferences Annual conferences, engagement sessions, webinars, and an events calendar that convenes leaders from industry, government, and academia in agricultural research and innovation.
• Membership Services Annual membership program providing access to AIC benefits, liability insurance for PAGs and CCAs, and a member homepage with exclusive resources, available to associations, corporate members, and individuals.
• Job Board Online job board serving the agricultural research and innovation sector, with options for employers to post jobs and volunteer positions.
• Position Statements Policy position statements covering Effective Funding, Collaboration and Partnerships, Public Trust, Favourable Climate for Investment, and Equality, Equity and Inclusiveness, used by AIC to advocate on behalf of the agri-food research sector.

Quantifiable outcome

• Agriculture and agri-food generate $113.8 billion and one in every eight jobs in Canada (2.3 million)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Genome Canada: Genome Canada is a not-for-profit Canadian organization funding genomics research across sectors including agriculture. It is comparable to AIC as a research-funding and convening non-profit in Canadian agri-food innovation, with overlap in policy advocacy and member engagement.
• CropLife Canada: CropLife Canada is the trade association representing the Canadian plant science industry. It is comparable to AIC because it is both a member of AIC and a peer-level association convening industry, government, and researchers on agricultural innovation policy in Canada.

Broad incumbents

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): FAO is the UN agency leading international efforts to defeat hunger and shape agricultural policy. It is comparable to AIC in its convening role and focus on knowledge dissemination, advocacy, and policy frameworks for the agri-food sector, though at a global rather than national scale.
• CropLife International: CropLife International is the global trade association representing the plant science industry. It is comparable to AIC as a global membership association convening agribusinesses, policymakers, and researchers around innovation, though its scope is plant biotech specific rather than the full Canadian agri-food value chain.

Direct peers

• National Farmers Union (Canada): The National Farmers Union is a Canadian voluntary direct-membership farmer organization that advocates on agricultural policy. It is comparable to AIC as a Canadian membership-based advocacy organization for the agri-food sector, though focused more on producers than research.
• Farm Management Canada: Farm Management Canada is a national non-profit dedicated to promoting excellence in farm business management. It is comparable to AIC as a Canadian non-profit that delivers knowledge products, events, and member services to the agriculture sector.
• Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR): FFAR is a US-based non-profit that funds agricultural research and innovation through public-private partnerships. It is comparable to AIC as both are non-profit organizations that bridge research, industry, and government funding for agri-food innovation.
• International Agri-Food Network (IAFN): IAFN is an international network of agri-food business associations coordinating private-sector input into UN food and agriculture policy. It is comparable to AIC as a coordinating membership body facilitating cross-sectoral dialogue and policy advocacy in the agri-food sector.
• Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA): CFA is Canada's largest umbrella farm organization, advocating on behalf of producers and acting as a unified national voice for agriculture. It is comparable to AIC because both serve as national-level membership-based advocacy bodies for the Canadian agri-food sector, convening industry and government stakeholders.
• Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI): CAPI is a non-profit policy research organization focused on Canadian agri-food policy and sustainability. It is comparable to AIC because both produce research-driven publications, convene stakeholders, and influence federal/provincial policy on agri-food innovation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/agfoodinnov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aic-canada

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agri-Food Innovation Council