Pillar 1 of the Canadian Precision Health Initiative – Generating population-level genomic data

Genome Canada has launched a new funding opportunity for generation of population-level genomic data, which will be the first pillar of its soon-to-be announced large-scale precision health initiative. The goal of Genome Canada’s planned investment in the first pillar of the initiative is to sequence the genomes of at least 100,000 Canadians, reflecting Canada’s unique and diverse population. This will provide the rich dataset needed to advance research, drive innovation and improve health-care outcomes for all Canadians.

For more information or to apply, please contact Laura Riley, Director, Sector Innovation & Programs, at lriley@ontariogenomics.ca. Letters of Intent are due to Ontario Genomics by 10:00 AM, October 28, 2024.

Download full funding opportunity guidelines

Ontario Genomics Welcomes New Board Member

Ontario Genomics Welcomes New Board Member

We’re delighted to introduce you to Lyndal Walker, the newest member of Ontario Genomics’ Board of Directors. Lyndal will enhance the board with a wealth of insight, experience, and expertise in the health and therapeutics space, all of which will help us achieve our strategic vision.

Lyndal Walker

Lyndal Walker is currently the General Manager of Sun Pharma Canada’s Branded Business.

As General Manager, Walker oversees the company’s increasing market investment and expansion of its wide range of medicines, particularly in dermatology, ophthalmology and oncology. Walker is focused on optimizing the power of Sun Pharma’s people, innovative products, global network, and localized research, to accelerate Sun Pharma’s growth in Canada. With over 25 years of experience in global healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry, she continues to unlock value for Canadians and address the unmet needs and gaps in the healthcare system. Read more about Lyndal Walker

Ontario Genomics is also thankful to our retiring board members for their years of deep commitment to our board.

  • Deb (Deborah) Stark served on our board for seven years and played an invaluable role as Chair of the board for five years. Deb brought a wealth of government and agriculture sector experience, while supporting vibrant board development and governance. We are especially grateful to Deb for her steady leadership throughout the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Mark Lundie served on our board for six years and brought fantastic expertise in rare disease and a global pharmaceutical sector perspective. Mark greatly supported our private sector and commercialization programs.
  • Jehoshua Sharma advanced our board with insights into the student perspective while supporting our training initiatives over the past four years. Thank you to our past board members for your contributions to OG!

To learn more about the new member and additional changes to our Board please see our governance page.

Showing Businesses How to Use Science to Their Advantage

A new online course teaches companies to partner with colleges to test their technologies

Micro-Credential Program_Fundamentals of Applied Research copy

It’s a nagging problem countless companies have faced: they have a great idea to improve their products or processes but don’t know how to make it a reality. That’s where Ontario Genomics and Loyalist College come in with a four-course Fundamentals of Applied Research micro-credential program that can get businesses from the idea stage to the testing phase.

The first course is now available and the best part is, it’s online and open to companies across the province. This 10-week, 25-hour, go-at-your-own-pace course walks through the process of how businesses can connect with local college researchers, design, fund and deliver a project that tests the new product or technology they want to incorporate into their operations.

Whether it’s creating a natural food product or ingredient, figuring out more sustainable packaging or improving crop production, applied research projects are a win-win for the community since it’s a lower-risk option that allows local businesses to produce homegrown innovations more efficiently, while also giving college researchers projects to work on.

Fundamentals of Applied Research micro-credential program

Ontario Genomics Strategic Partnerships Manager Michael Dorrington, says, “Most companies don’t realize local colleges offer this kind of access to lab space and expertise to test their ideas. This micro-credential goes through all the steps businesses need to take advantage of this invaluable support available to them.

Amy Harder, Loyalist College Senior Director of Business Development, says, “We’re proud to support businesses and entrepreneurs by offering targeted corporate training programs like this course. It’s through these initiatives that Loyalist strengthens the regional economy and fosters local growth.

Ontario Genomics is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario and other partners. Since 2000, we’ve been involved with cutting-edge science to find homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare. Find out more at OntarioGenomics.ca

Getting organized, the genomics way!

Two new hubs will make research easier to manage and access for scientists and industry

Groundbreaking research has the power to move humanity forward in many ways, but it doesn’t do much good if it’s not organized and easy to access. A new $15.8 million program creating two supporting hubs will do away with that problem by getting researchers and industry partners on the same page to turn solid research into real-life use that we can all enjoy.

As part of the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Systems (CSAFS) program, nine Interdisciplinary Challenge Teams (ICTs) across Canada are doing critical work to find solutions to climate change and its ravaging impact on our food supply. Ontario Genomics is among a group of investors in these two new organizational hubs that help scientists compile their cutting-edge genomics research in the most efficient way possible.

Climate-Smart Data Collaboration Centre
Climate-Smart Data Collaboration Centre

This $11.1 million data hub will give the ICTs a common framework for data handling and management, so it’s easier to access and share, while also keeping track of their progress.

Researchers: Dr. William Hsiao at Simon Fraser University; Dr. Michelle Edwards at University of Guelph; Dr. Claude Robert at Université Laval

Partners: Ontario Genomics, Genome British Columbia and Génome Québec

Agricultural Genomics Action Centre
Agricultural Genomics Action Centre

This $4.6 million knowledge mobilization and implementation hub will take research from the ICTs and showcase and disseminate the information so that it’s accessible and usable in the real world by partners in the farming, food and beverage and agriculture sectors, as well as policymakers and government.

Researchers: Elizabeth Shantz and Jessica Bowes at University of Guelph; Dr. Nancy Tout at the Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan; Dr. Lupin Battersby at Simon Fraser University

Partners: Ontario Genomics, Genome Prairie and Genome British Columbia

Ontario Genomics is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario and other partners. Since 2000, we’ve been involved with cutting-edge science to find homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare. Find out more at OntarioGenomics.ca

Unlocking the future of food: The FAO and Ontario Genomics uncover the challenges and opportunities

SynBio2024: Bonus - New Food Innovation Opportunity on Oct 10

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, alongside Ontario Genomics, is giving you a global perspective on the future of innovation in food, cleantech, and health. Join us in Toronto, from October 7-9, for the sixth edition of Canada SynBio 2024 as we explore how to break through barriers and focus on “Unlocking the Future,” so the bioeconomy can thrive, for Canada and the rest of the world.

You’ll want to book an extra night’s stay in Toronto because on October 10, the FAO, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), will hold a stakeholder roundtable meeting on cell-based food production and precision fermentation. This is the third meeting in the series that includes developers, producers, and researchers to apply and present their original products. The call for presenters is open until July 1, additional details here.

Join us and be part of the solution as we address challenges and highlight opportunities for Canada to strengthen its leadership in the ecosystem, and how innovations and engineering biology-based technologies can truly revolutionize society on a global scale. We look forward to seeing you there!

Tech and Science Meet to Create Medical Marvels

New government funding for projects includes world-class cancer diagnosis tools and the medicinal magic of mushrooms

May 29, 2024, Toronto –

With the goal of unlocking the healing abilities of science and technology the Canadian government through Genome Canada and Ontario Genomics are giving over $13.5 million in funding to five projects in Ontario that will improve our healthcare system and ensure biodiversity in our ecosystem.

With more than 600 new cancer cases diagnosed every day in Canada, researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children and Mount Sinai Hospital have joined forces on a $6 million project to grow their tumour classification system. This platform allows doctors to identify difficult to diagnose cancers with near perfect accuracy to get patients the right care they need, faster. They also plan to expand the types of cancers it can identify and share this lifesaving technology with other countries.

Some families have a heightened risk of colon, brain and gynaecological cancer that is passed on in their DNA. Princess Margaret Cancer Centre researchers are getting nearly $800,000 to create an affordable, less invasive test to dramatically cut down on diagnosis wait times and life-long screening for people with this condition.

CGEn researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children, McGill University and the BC Cancer Research Centre are developing new technology to meet the needs of the scientific community. This $3.3 million project will develop advanced genomic services and analysis for nearly 3,000 research labs, companies and not-for-profits.

Mushrooms are more than just great on pizza, they can actually be the basis of new medicines! McMaster University researchers and B.C. biotech company, Kapoose Creek Bio, are using AI and synthetic biology to explore fungal compounds in a $2.2 million project to discover new drugs.

Most of the things we buy in the grocery store have a barcode, and Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph researchers are applying that concept to DNA of all species. Their $1 million analytics project allows scientists to identify all the animals and insects around us and track changes in their population and movements. This technology can be shared with other researchers around the world to ensure biodiversity and sustainability.

Ontario Genomics is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario and other partners. Since 2000, we’ve been involved with cutting-edge science to find homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare. Find out more at OntarioGenomics.ca.

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Maggie Blood

Innovation Communications and Public Affairs Manager

mblood@ontariogenomics.ca

Ontario Genomics Part of Province’s Research & Innovation Investment

Funding renewal means more support for game-changing solutions

May 29, 2024, Toronto –

Ontario Genomics is receiving $5 million over two years to continue our work in finding homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare.

Since our start in 2000, we’ve raised more than $3.7 billion for genomics applied research in the province which has created more than 20,000 jobs. We have over 330 projects and more than 500 partnerships. For the past 24 years, we’ve been providing the critical support researchers and entrepreneurs need to develop, protect and commercialize their IP, ensuring their innovations, and the associated wealth and jobs they create, stay here in Ontario.

Genomics is all about DNA, and it’s DNA that tells us about life in all forms. It’s the basis of biology which is fuelling biotech innovation and getting us focused on sustainability and away from petroleum-based production methods.

The time to act is now and because of this investment from the Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities, we can continue to support researchers and start-ups with their game-changing solutions so they can be scaled up and put into real world use as quickly as possible.

Ontario Genomics CEO Stephen Cummings, says, “With this provincial investment, Ontario Genomics leverages matching funds to drive game-changing innovations in Food, Agriculture, Cleantech, and Health. Our work generated a significant return on investment, created over 11,000 direct jobs and added more than $1.8 billion to Ontario’s GDP since 2013. By leading genomic applications across multiple industries, we are tapping into the Bio Revolution, a multi-trillion-dollar global market opportunity as projected by the McKinsey Global Institute. With ongoing support, we will establish Ontario as a leader in biotech and life sciences, benefiting everyone in Ontario today and into the future”.

“The Ontario government is proud to support homegrown research and innovation at Ontario Genomics,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “This funding is helping researchers solve some of the biggest challenges of our time that are making a very real difference in the lives of Ontarians.”

Ontario Genomics is a non-profit organization funded by the Government of Ontario and other partners. Since 2000, we’ve been involved with cutting-edge science to find homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare. Find out more at OntarioGenomics.ca.

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Maggie Blood

Innovation Communications and Public Affairs Manager

mblood@ontariogenomics.ca

Two Big Investments in Ontario’s Genomics and Biotech Community

Governments of Ontario and Canada are helping innovative ideas become reality

Ontario Genomics is receiving $5 million over two years from the Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities to continue our work in finding homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare. Read more about it here.

With the goal of unlocking the healing abilities of science and technology, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), through Genome Canada, awarded over $13.5 million in funding to five Ontario Genomics GAPP and TechDev projects that will improve our healthcare system and biodiversity of our environment. Read all about them here.

GAPP commercializes or implements Ontario-made genomic solutions, while the TechDev program gives the innovators creating these kinds of solutions access to the cutting-edge technologies they need.

These are all exciting developments that are giving Ontario Genomics and our partner researchers the support needed to make game-changing solutions a reality so they can be put into real world use as quickly as possible.

Ontario Genomics has a 24-year history of leveraging funding to drive game-changing innovations in food, agriculture, cleantech, and health. Our work consistently generates a significant return on investment with over 11,000 direct jobs created and more than $1.8 billion added to Ontario’s GDP since 2013.

With ongoing support, we’ll establish Ontario as a leader in biotech and life sciences, benefiting everyone across the province, today and long into the future!

Blog: Look How Far We’ve Come

Happy DNA Day – Look how far we’ve come!

It was 71 years ago when scientists published groundbreaking research on the structure of DNA. That teamwork grew to become the internationally funded Human Genome Project which culminated in the most complete mapping of the human genome in May 2021. Genomics is all about DNA, and it’s DNA that tells us about life in all forms. It’s the basis of biology which is now fuelling biotechnology innovation. These technologies now have the power to move us away from environmentally damaging manufacturing methods.

After all, climate, food and health are all connected. Climate change is disastrous for food production and supply chains, as well as the health and well-being of everyone on this planet. The good news is, incredible solutions and technologies to address all of these very serious problems currently exist, likely in your own backyard!

Ontario Genomics has been leading the charge in the province since 2000 by supporting cutting-edge science to find homegrown solutions to challenges the world faces like climate change, food insecurity and in healthcare. We’ve done this by raising more than $3.7 billion for genomics applied research in the province which has created more than 20,000 jobs. We have over 330 projects and more than 500 partnerships!

Whether you realize it or not, DNA is all around us. What began decades ago as research to better understand what humans are made of, has since bloomed to include new ways of producing food and improving agricultural techniques as well as clean technology which is providing a new path to make and power the things we need.

One example is the wasteCANcreate program, which is bringing together Canadian researchers and industry partners in Aylmer, Burlington, Orillia, Vancouver and Regina spanning the energy, agriculture and food, plastic films and performance textiles sectors to bring real-world solutions to Ontario, Canada, and the rest of the world.

By using precision fermentation, microbes are used to turn food waste like potato peels into usable products like biodegradable plastics and fibres to create yoga pants! This new method of upcycling also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, replaces the need for petroleum-based plastics and is an economic boost to the province through job creation.

According to Ontario Genomics’ 2021 Cellular Agriculture Report, food biomanufacturing alone could explode to become a $7.5 billion industry creating 86,000 jobs by 2030, with greater growth projected in the long term. That’s why we’re involved with several food and agriculture projects and companies around the province, including the biggest Canadian cellular agriculture project ever that is led by McMaster University where researchers are developing efficient and economical ways to produce cultivated meat on a large scale.

While more commonly heard of cellular/cultivated products like red meat, poultry, seafood, foie gras and pet food are being made, dairy, eggs, honey and even chocolate are created through the same process! Food ingredients like these proteins, enzymes, flavour molecules, vitamins, pigments and fats can also be incorporated with existing products to create hybrid foods. This cellular agriculture technology is also creating textiles such as leather, wool, silk and cotton.

Amazing innovations like this may have seemed like a sci-fi fantasy years ago, but DNA is currently inspiring these kinds of creations here in Ontario. Work like this being done in this province can help propel Canada into global powerhouse status in the biotech-based economy. One way we’re helping to make this happen is through our annual SynBio conference that brings together national and international leaders in the field of engineering biology to build inter-sector partnerships.

Ontario Genomics has a very exciting partnership with FedDev Ontario for our BioCreate accelerator program that provides financial support, business and technical guidance to start-ups in southern Ontario to move the province’s biotechnology scene forward and get game-changing solutions scaled up and put into real world use as quickly as possible.

We’re currently supporting 16 companies in the health, cleantech and food and agriculture sectors, with more on the way! There are a lot of very smart and capable people doing amazing things in the province and it’s also incredibly encouraging to see that half of these companies are either run by women CEOs or have women on their leadership team. That stat alone shows science has also evolved greatly over the years, especially when you consider Rosalind Franklin’s discovery of DNA’s structure in 1953 has been greatly overlooked in the history books.

With all this in mind, we wish you a happy DNA Day – it’s incredible how far we’ve come, and you should feel a part of where we’re going!

BioCreate Cohorts 4 & 5 are now open

BioCreate Program

Ontario Genomics’ BioCreate program is now open to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in southern Ontario looking to commercialize genomics and engineering biology enabled products and/or technologies in the health, food and agriculture, and cleantech sectors at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4+.

What does BioCreate do? We provide funding, access to mentorship and business support to help companies bring new products and technologies to market.

Program Highlights:
  • Direct, non-repayable funding of $150,000.
  • Access to 18 months of intensive business mentorship and critical infrastructure provided by Ontario Genomics’ strategic sectoral and regional partnerships.
  • An investor showcase for each cohort, giving companies the opportunity to pitch to investors and potential partners.
Biocreate header with three phases
Application Steps and Dates

Interested? Review the Program Guide for more information on BioCreate, including eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria, then fill out the BioCreate intake form and a representative from our team will reach out to discuss your project idea. Eligible applicants will be invited to submit an application.

If you have questions, please contact BioCreate@ontariogenomics.ca.

The deadline to submit an intake form for Cohort 4 & 5 is June 23, 2024. Additional details and the application process can be found on the BioCreate page.

Complete the intake form now to find out more about your company’s eligibility!


The BioCreate program is supported by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and Ontario Genomics. The current budget is greater than $7 million over five years.