The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) seeks proposals from small businesses on developing a computer model that predicts which vaccine strain would best control foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in cattle, sheep and swine.

Foot-and-mouth is highly contagious, making it a serious threat to the agriculture industry. Viral strains can be stored in vaccine banks, but right now there’s no computer model to predict which strain will best control an outbreak.

Successful small businesses will receive up to $150,000 to refine their research, through Innovative Solutions Canada. If accepted into the second phase, a small business could receive up to $1 million to develop a working prototype. The government would then act as a first customer, which would help small businesses commercialize their innovations and scale up their business.

The call for proposals closes on October 29. For more information, visit ‘Challenges’ at the Government Canada website.