Overview

Genome Canada, together with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), collaborated on the 2020 Large Scale Applied Research Project Competition “Genomics Solutions for Natural Resources and the Environment”.

Funding Highlights

Registration deadline: CLOSED
Project Value: $1,000,000 – $3,000,000
Total Funding Available: $26,500,000

Objectives

This competition aimed to support applied research projects that use genomic approaches to address challenges and opportunities in Canada’s natural resources and environment sectors, including interactions between natural resources and the environment, thereby contributing to the Canadian bioeconomy, a healthy environment and the well-being of Canadians.

Parameters

The scope of this funding opportunity included areas such as genomics research related to energy, mining, forestry, water stewardship, healthy oceans, wildlife management/conservation and bioproducts that help conserve natural resources, protect the environment and support sustainable resource management. It also included the use of genomics to understand the adaptive genetic potential of species, populations and ecosystems to climate and other environmental changes and stressors, and identify those key elements that impact ecosystem structure, function and diversity.

The natural resource and environment sectors have a history of using research to assess challenges and develop various solutions. Knowledge and innovation emerging from genomics have the potential to help address the challenges in these sectors and thereby drive sustainability, growth, productivity, commercialization and global competitiveness. Previous investments from Genome Canada in these sectors have led to the development of genomic tools, resources and policies for biomonitoring and ecotoxicological risk assessment, bioremediation, increased efficiency of hydrocarbon extraction, and increased forest sustainability.

Project Eligibility

Genome Canada funds can only be awarded to individuals affiliated with one or more of the following types of organizations:

• Canadian universities and affiliated institutions including research hospitals and research institutes
• Not-for-profit organizations (including community or charitable organizations) with an explicit research mandate
• Canadian non-federal government departments or agencies

Individuals eligible to receive and administer Genome Canada funds were required to be:

• Autonomous regarding their research activities
• Have an academic or research appointment such that the individual is:
  • Allowed to pursue the proposed research project independently for the duration of the funding, to supervise trainees, and to publish the research results
  • Obliged to conform to institutional/organizational regulations and guidelines concerning the conduct of research, the supervision of trainees, and the employment conditions of staff

Research teams may include as co-applicants international, private sector, or federal laboratory scientists. However, Genome Canada funding is restricted to activities performed within Genome Canada eligible institutions and NRCan funding (from this funding opportunity) is restricted to activities performed within NRCan.

Funding Available and Term

This funding opportunity makes it possible to collaboratively carry out joint projects with NRCan researchers, where Genome Canada funds will support the Genome Canada eligible researchers and NRCan funds will support the NRCan researchers.

• Approximately $25 million through Genome Canada, and ~ $1.5 million from NRCan.
• The contribution from Genome Canada must be between $1 million and $3 million, and the amount of co-funding from eligible sources must be at least equal to the Genome Canada contribution.
• NRCan will only invest in projects it determines to be relevant; projects are encouraged but not required to include a component that would be funded by NRCan.
• The NRCan funding for this competition cannot be included as co-funding.
• Successful individual projects will be awarded funding for a term of up to four years.

Documents & Resources

For more information on funded projects, please visit our Projects Portfolio.

Funding Contact

Genome Alberta
Email