July 30, 2024 – Two new pan-Canadian initiatives are officially launched to maximize and amplify the impacts of the nine research projects selected as part of the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems initiative:
The mission of the Climate-Smart Data Collaboration Center will be to collect genomic data generated by research projects, and to develop the federated and decentralized ecosystem required for open data sharing. In addition, a consensual, equitable and accessible governance structure and data analysis tools will be developed.
The Agricultural Genomics Action Centre: Innovation, Implementation and Impact for Climate Smart Agriculture will coordinate strategies and activities for sharing the knowledge generated by research projects. This initiative aims to make research results relevant, accessible and applicable by the various stakeholders in order to increase the resilience of food systems in the context of climate change.
This announcement represents federal support of $6.6 million, invested through Genome Canada. Provincial governments, companies and research partners will invest a further $9.2 million in co-funding, for a total investment of over $15.8 million.
Génome Québec wishes to highlight the contribution of Québec researchers to these important pan-Canadian initiatives:
Agricultural Genomics Action Centre
- Luc Stafford (collaborator), Université de Montréal :
Climate-Smart Data Collaboration Centre
- Claude Robert (principal researcher), Philippe Després (co-researcher) and Jérôme Laroche (project administrator), Université Laval
- Guillaume Bourque (co-investigator) and Laurette Dubé (co-investigator), McGill University
- Pablo Valde Donoso (collaborator), Université de Montréal
Genovalia platform selected as part of the Climate-Smart Data Collaboration Center:
Having begun its development phase in 2022 thanks to $500,000 in support from Génome Québec, the Genovalia platform was developed by Professors Claude Robert and Philippe Després and their teams at Université Laval, with the aim of leveraging non-human genomic data through the best analytical approaches in artificial intelligence. The investment announced today will optimize the use of this research infrastructure, whose official launch is scheduled for the fall of 2024.
“Genomic technologies have an important role to play in building a more resilient and sustainable food system, in the face of the climate change reality. For us, realizing this potential means sharing knowledge and collaborating across sectors and silos, for the benefit of ever more innovative research capabilities. The integration of the Climate-Smart Data Collaboration Center into the data infrastructures in place at Université Laval will, I’m sure, support the achievement of these objectives,” explains Claude Robert, professor at Université Laval’s Faculté des sciences de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation.
“My sincere congratulations to all the recipients! The quality of the contribution made by Québec researchers to pan-Canadian initiatives is once again remarkable. I would also like to highlight the work of Claude Robert and his team, who have developed the Genovalia platform over the past two years. The new funding will help propel its growth, and the entire non-human genomics research ecosystem will now be able to benefit from it,” stated Josette-Renée Landry, President and CEO of Génome Québec.