Genome Canada targets agri-food and aquaculture with applied research competition

Genome Canada is committing $30 million for a large-scale applied research project competition in the agri-food and fisheries/aquaculture sectors, with other co-funding sources pushing the total available to at least $90 million. Entitled Genomics and Feeding the Future, the competition is supported by the Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) which is contributing $5 million to projects aimed at new crop varieties, products or management practices.

The competition will support successful projects valued between $2 million and $10 million for up to four years, with Genome Canada providing a maximum of 40%. Selected projects must build a strong case that their research will generate "significant social and/or economic benefits within as short a time-frame as possible after the end of the project".

WGRF has an endowment of more than $100 million, derived from funds exceeding the revenue cap for railway transport of agricultural goods.

Genome Canada is funding its portion of the projects from the $165-million envelope it received in the 2013 federal Budget. In 2012 it launched a large-scale competition in health and 2015 will see a large-scale competition aimed at natural resources, including energy and mining.

Genome Canada president and CEO, Dr Pierre Meulien, says the progression of genomics research in agriculture and aquaculture is particularly timely.

"In the agricultural sector, the maturity of genomics sciences is quite high so we're confident that we will have very healthy projects coming in. That's less true for natural resources like energy and mining. They need another year to mature the research," says Meulien. "The amount of funding we provide will oscillate depending on the maturity of the sector and the research prospects … The major co-funders will be the provinces with industry and industry associations picking up the rest."

The registration deadline for intent to apply is August 11, with full applications to Genome Canada due November 17. Decisions will be made in late June, 2015.

Given the focus of the competition, it's expected that the regional genome centres in western and Atlantic Canada will do well, although the central provinces also have significant agricultural sectors and inter-provincial collaboration is becoming increasingly common. International participation is also anticipated, as the challenges facing the agricultural and fisheries sectors are global in nature.

"The traditional practices of species improvement will not meet the required 3-5% increases in productivity a year to address the global food security challenge. The knowledge of the genetic make-up and gene functions of plants, livestock, fish and other species, and how these genes interact, has been increasing dramatically over the last 10 years. The application of this knowledge to agricultural and aquatic productivity has been largely untapped" — Genome Canada competition outline

Challenges stemming from population growth and climate change are projected to have a major impact on food safety, security and sustainable production. By 2050, food demand is expected to double and increased demand for high-quality protein will require more effective delivery systems and an unprecedented increase in productivity.

"The competition is a response to global challenges and Canada is well positioned to respond and build on a track record of success," says Lorne Hepworth, Genome Canada's board chair and former president of CropLife Canada. "There are 800 million people who face a food security challenge and standards of living increases are impacting the food people want to eat. At the same time there's a finite amount of land and sustainability challenges with water and climate change."

The large-scale competition closely follows the launch of Genome Canada's Genomics Innovation Network competition, with up to $16 million available to support operations for cross-country collaboration of the genomic innovation centres. Genome Canada will match contributions, providing up to $2 million for each node.

"Our regional technological capabilities are very good but the field is moving quickly," says Meulien. "Organizations can apply to become a node and provide cutting-edge technology."

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