Organic Science Cluster 4 (2023‑2028)
The Organic Federation of Canada and the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada at Dalhousie University are pleased to announce that we will be partnering on a fourth Organic Science Cluster!
The Organic Science Cluster program is supported by the AgriScience Program under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Canadian Agricultural Partnership (an investment by federal, provincial, and territorial governments) and matching contributions from the agricultural community.
The Organic Science Clusters have supported organic science at over 35 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, university, and provincial research stations across Canada.
OSC4 Proposal Timeline
The process of preparing and submitting a national science cluster proposal takes approximately 1.5 yrs from priority setting to the beginning of the program. Here is the ‘targeted’ timeline for the OSC4 process, but it may change
| Activity | Start Date |
End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Priority Setting | Oct 2021 | Dec 2021 |
| Letter of Intent (LOI, i.e. preproposal) |
Jan 2022 | Feb 2022 |
| LOI Review | Feb 2022 | Apr 2022 |
| Full Workplans |
Apr 2022 | Jun 2022 |
| Workplan Review (Peer Review & Science Advisory Body) | Jun 2022 | Sept 2022 |
| Deadline for confirming industry funds | Oct 2022 | |
| Workplan revisions and review |
Sept 2022 | Nov 2022 |
| OSC4 Proposal Compilation- Submission | Nov 2022 | Jan 2023 |
| Cluster 4 Program Start Date | Apr 2023 | Mar 2028 |
Call for Letters of Intent (Deadline: February 4, 2022)
The call for Letters of Intent to submit proposals to OSC4 is now open. Please refer to guidelines before submitting the LOI form below.
OSC4 LOI Guidelines [PDF- 435 KB]
2021 Canadian Organic Research Priorities
Research priorities have been established for the organic sector based on over 20 consultation meetings held with over 200 producers, processors, extension specialists, and researchers. These priorities should guide the LOI and proposal submission process. Details can be found in the document:
Download 2021 Canadian Organic Research Priorities [PDF- 352.06 KB]