UK SBS PS17038 Collaborations between the UK and Canada across the Agri-Food sector.

**Please note the closing date for this tender is the 15/03/2017. Please do not submit bids directly to the Buyer**

Innovate UK is organising an outward 'scoping' mission to Canada, in partnership with the Canadian High Commission, to better understand the Canadian agri-food sector and key challenges being faced. This will help to inform about key challenges facing the sector, and where there may be opportunities to collaborate for mutual benefit.

Importantly, this mission will initiate engagement with key Canadian stakeholders across policy / funding; the research-base and industry to raise awareness of UK interest in future collaboration opportunities across the agri-food sector when common priorities can be identified.

The activities described above are the next steps that would enable this process to be developed further, and key priorities to be mutually identified to establish where common challenges exist that may benefit from collaborations between the UK and Canada through new science and technology partnerships.

The aim of the tender exercise is to identify a service provider with the necessary skills and expertise to achieve the successful delivery of missions and strategic research agendas / roadmaps (including both virtual and physical 'workshop' activities). This will involve strong facilitation skills that can help to build and establish connections between key UK and international stakeholders across policy / Government, industry and the research-base. The contract will need to support key outputs; including reports from workshop activities and the publication of a UK / Canada roadmap with recommendations about short- medium- and long-term challenges facing the sector, and where bi-lateral collaborations will meet the challenges for mutual benefit.

Scope and Requirements:

Part 1: Establishing an Agri-Food Strategic Research agenda (Virtual element)

• Organisation, facilitation and delivery of 'virtual' (web-based) UK / Canada activity to identify key challenges in the short-medium-long-term relevant to the Agri-Food sector. • Publicising the event and selecting key participants from policy/funding; research-base; industry levy bodies sectors from the UK and Canada. • Running and facilitating the on-line event. • Publication of a draft Strategic Research Agenda as an output from the on-line event to act as a framework to structure a follow-on physical Bi-lateral Roadmap event in London.

Part 2: Developing a UK / Canada Agri-Food Roadmap

• Coordination of inward Canadian mission to the UK to participate in 'physical' workshop to develop an Agri-Food Roadmap. • Developing 'physical' workshop programme in consultation with Innovate UK. • Leading the running and facilitation of workshop (2-days) • Publication of workshops as a UK / Canada Agri-Food Roadmap.

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