Researchers at Kwantlen Polytechnic University鈥檚 horticulture unit has received a $1 million funding award to develop sustainable year-round berry production.

Announced on Thursday, Oct. 5, the award from the Weston Family Foundation will fund a small-scale proof of concept project by the Institute for Sustainable Horticulture at KPU.

Researchers will have 18 months to develop and demonstrate a system to reliably, sustainably, and competitively produce berries out of season in Canada.

鈥淚 worry about climate change a lot, and what makes me optimistic is working at a university where I see innovations that give us hope,鈥� said Dr. Deborah Henderson, director of the 91原创-based ISH. 鈥淲e have some hard decisions to make, but we also have the tools we need 鈥� and this project is such a beautiful example.鈥�

The proposal is to grow strawberries and blackberries inside high-tech greenhouses in a pesticide-free, carbon-neutral environment.

The prototype site at the greenhouses on the 91原创 campus are outfitted with cutting-edge technology including clean energy, with the goal of creating a system that could be rolled out in greenhouses across the country.

Sensors and robotic technologies driven by artificial intelligence will control the growing environment while monitoring for pests and diseases, which will be treated with non-chemical solutions. Clean energy will be harvested and stored between seasons, waste heat will be recovered, and carbon dioxide will be extracted from the air to enrich the plant environment.

It helps avoid pesticides and other sprays.

鈥淚f you can use a biological solution, or prevent the need for it by maintaining your soil or growing medium, the growers are there,鈥� said Henderson.

KPU researchers are among 11 teams advancing their projects for the Homegrown Innovation Challenge, a six-year, $33-million competition that will ultimately allow four teams to develop and scale their idea. The scaling phase is scheduled to begin in 2025, when up to $5 million will be awarded to each of the top four teams over three years to scale and demonstrate a market-ready solution. By 2028, the Homegrown Innovation Challenge will award two $1 million prizes: an overall winner, and a breakthrough technology winner.

鈥淲e believe we鈥檝e chosen the berries which will enter the market with the greatest ease, be the most attractive for producers and consumers alike, and facilitate future berry varieties to be produced out of season,鈥� said Henderson.

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