Genome Canada has announced the winners of its latest Large-Scale Applied Research Project (LSARP) with 11 projects receiving $93 million including $30.8 million from Genome Canada. The Genomics and Feeding the Future competition targeted projects in agriculture, agri-food, fisheries and aquaculture. The next LSARP competition will make $80 million available for projects in natural resources, energy and the environment and is now in the field.
British Columbia and the Prairies received the bulk of the funding, winning eight of the 11 awards (see chart). Award sizes ranged from $5.6 million (Ontario - sustainable fishery for Nunavummiut) to $10.3 million (Alberta – reducing methane emissions in the dairy industry).
"It's amazing where we have come with the applied program. We have now targetted all of our sectors," says Dr Cindy Bell, Genome Canada's interim president and CEO. We're now cycling around. We'd like to do another one in health."
The competition marks the first time since 2008 that Genome Canada has mounted an agricultural-related competition and the first time LSARP has achieved a 2:1 leverage of Genome Canada funding. The 2012 LSARP competition also achieved a similar ratio only because of considerable funds from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the competition's joint partner.
The recent competition was enhanced with $5 million from the Western Grains Research Foundation. Bell says WGRF provided the money upfront and participated in the selection process to determine where to best place their support.
With the completion of the LSARP competition for natural resources and the environment next year, Genome Canada's funding will be fully committed.
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