Ottawa, ON – Canada’s Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan has announced that the federal government will be investing $4.2 million towards four new genomic technology projects.
The projects are to be funded through Genome Canada’s Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP), which partners academic researchers with users of genomics to address problems identified by the user. They will be funded over a maximum of three years.
“I congratulate the successful teams whose projects will address real world challenges and opportunities,” said Minister Duncan. “The federal government is pleased to support these applied genomics research projects where the science has potential to spur innovation and give Canadian companies a competitive edge in global markets, thereby creating jobs and economic growth to help the middle class.”
The first project will see the University of Alberta working with DowAgroSciences to enhance the commercial use of canola oil and meal, while the second has the University of Manitoba partnering with Winnipeg-based Composites Innovation Centre to develop and test a vehicle prototype using a novel biocomposite made of flax fibre and binding resin. The University of Toronto will work with Trillium Therapeutics Inc. to develop novel therapeutics that fight cancer in the third project, and finally, the Université Laval is partnering with GenePOC Inc. to develop a new instrument that can rapidly diagnose infections at the point-of-care in the fourth.
“We are thrilled to add these new projects to a growing roster of genomic application partnerships between scientists and organizations that have a clear use for genomics,” said Marc LePage, president and CEO, Genome Canada. “It is fascinating to see how rapidly genomics is maturing to the point where it is being incorporated across such a diverse range of industries that benefit many regions and many sectors of Canada’s economy.”
For a full BACKGROUNDER of Genomic Applications Partnership Program Funded Projects in this round (Round 3 and 4 ) click here.
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