Ontario Genomics (OG), Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC) and Genome Canada (GC) are pleased to announce the launch of the Ontario Regional Priorities Partnership Program (ON-RP3), a new regional program that will support proof-of-concept stage projects within Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector. ON-RP3 projects will enable co-led industry-academic partnerships that will deliver genomics-derived technologies, tools and processes to address industry-identified challenges and/or opportunities. The outcomes of these projects will help position teams for successful implementation within two years or less of project completion. To ensure maximum impact, eligible research topics focus on the strategic priority areas identified in the sector strategy report, Genomics for Agriculture & Agri-Food: Ontario’s Strategic Opportunity.

Objectives

The primary objectives of the ON-RP3 are to:

• Develop industry-academic partnerships that will drive the adoption of genomics/genomics-based technologies, tools and processes to advance Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector
• Address industry-identified challenges and/or opportunities in the agriculture and agri-food sector and demonstrate the readiness of genomics solutions for implementation
• Achieve the benefits of genomic discoveries by bridging the gap between applied research and implementation

Key Parameters of the Program

The ON-RP3 program is open to Ontario-based, co-led industry-academic projects. Industry includes for-profit companies and not-for-profit organizations actively operating in the Ontario agriculture and agri-food sector. Proposed projects must address real-world challenges and/or opportunities in Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food sector by using genomics/genomics-derived solutions. The funding available for this program is $2 million. Total project budgets can range from $375,000 to $500,000. (Note that smaller projects of at least $150,000 will be considered if they are well-justified and meet the review criteria.) One-third of the total project budget must be obtained as co-funding from eligible sources, including a minimum of one-sixth in cash from the Industry Lead. Projects can be one to three years, with the anticipated start date of July 1, 2019. Projects must present a clear plan of how implementation will be achieved within two years or less of project completion.

What is this prize?

The Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prizes are awarded to two persons – one in the arts and the other in the social sciences and humanities, who have distinguished themselves by their outstanding achievements. The prizes are intended to encourage ongoing contributions to Canada's cultural and intellectual heritage.

Prize amount

Two prizes valued at up to $50,000 each

How to qualify

Nominations must be submitted to the Council by a third party (individual or organization).

A peer assessment committee will select the recipients from among all the nominations received.

For eligibility criteria, the nomination form and further information on these prizes, see the Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prizes Guidelines.

The John G. Diefenbaker Award allows a distinguished German scholar in the humanities to conduct research in Canada and spend brief periods gaining further experience at American institutions.

Prize amount

Up to $95,000

How to qualify

Nominations must be made by a department of the host university or research institute.

A peer assessment committee will select the recipient from among all nominations received.

For eligibility criteria, the nomination form and further information on this award, see the John G. Diefenbaker Award Guidelines.

Deadline(s)

Annual

1 November

Highly qualified final year undergraduate students or those who have received an undergraduate degree of all disciplines may apply for the DAAD Study Scholarship for a full Master's degree program at a German university or for study at a German university as part of a postgraduate or Master's degree program completed in the home country.

Research Grants – One-Year Grants are awarded to highly qualified candidates who have completed a Master's degree or Diploma, or in exceptional cases a Bachelor's degree at the latest by the time they begin their grant supported research.

Short-Term Research Grants are awarded for 1-6 months to highly qualified candidates who have completed a Master’s degree or Diploma, or in exceptional cases a Bachelor’s degree at the latest by the time they begin their grant supported research, or those who have already completed a PhD (postdocs).

Applications for short-term research grants are accepted twice annually, usually in November and May.

Awards for specific research projects are made to full-time faculty members to support research work carried out by university students under their direction.

Areas of interest

Environment

• Remediation of soil impacted by recalcitrant petroleum hydrocarbons, salts (mostly NaCl) or both, to as close to pristine conditions as possible.
• Improved delineation of soil impacted by petroleum hydrocarbons, salts or both.
• Boreal forest wetland reclamation
• Fundamental understanding of the interactions of minerals and residual hydrocarbon in the aqueous phase and what causes enhanced separation (e.g., use of additives such as polymers).
• Enhancements in SOx, NOx reduction technologies

In-situ bitumen recovery

• Bitumen-hydrocarbon-steam phase behaviors (VLLE) with temperature and pressure variation (up to > 200°C)
• Formation of hydrates upon depressurization of C2-C3-C1-bitumen-HC mixtures
• Miscible and partially miscible finger modeling (using macroscopic parameters)
• Mass transfer in solvent finger/bitumen matrix networks (diffusion and dispersion)
• Modeling of heat and mass transfer boundary layers in steam-thermal-solvent processes
• Modeling of asphaltene or asphaltene-rich heavy phase transport in heavy oil recovery process 

In-situ facilities

• Improvements in multiphase pumps, novel water softening, water hardness analyzers, waste heat utilization, external heat source engines, abrasion resistant materials

Analytical Techniques for petroleum products

• In-use online analysis of petroleum products
• Failure modes of in-service petroleum products
• Failure modes of industrial components that are lubricated with petroleum products
• Forensic analysis of lubricants and related industrial equipment
• Analytical techniques for new and used lubricants

Refinery products, processes and facilities

• Novel approaches for the removal of sulphur, phosphorous and nitrogen from hydrocarbon streams
• Improved understanding of fouling and corrosion mechanisms in process equipment both hydrocarbon and inorganic, and means to mitigate same
• Novel approaches for quality enhancements for fuel products, oxygenate containing fuel products, and asphalts
• Improvements in yields, run lengths, and molecular composition of product streams in refinery processing equipment
• Improved production of basestocks from crudes
• Breakthrough technology for energy efficiency improvement in refinery processing equipment, namely fired heaters and heat exchanger
• Enhanced process control system - modeling of refinery systems (improved molecular characterization, reaction kinetics, hydrodynamic modeling)
• Novel techniques for water conservation within a modern refinery
• Novel techniques to predict cold flow properties of fuels from feed qualities and operating conditions in fixed bed reactors
• Novel quench system designs for fixed bed reactors providing uniform fluid flow and quick installation and inspection

Chemicals

• Improvements related to polyethylene manufacturing
• Improvements related to polyethylene products particularly polyethylene for injection and rotational molding applications
• Improvements related to ethane/propane gas cracking to produce ethylene
• Improvements related to manufacturing of vinyl intermediates, aromatics and naphtha based solvents

Some potential areas include:

• Investigate the effect of different bio sources in biofuels (gas and diesel) on polyethylene physical properties
• Investigate and improve the organoleptic properties of polyethylene
• Investigate methods to improve the barrier properties of rotational and injection molded parts
• Investigate methods to improve the paintability of rotational and injection molded parts
• Explore applications of polyethylene combined with bio-based materials
• Investigate methods to evaluate and improve the Environmental Stress Crack Resistance performance of polyethylene
• Safe transfer of synthetic polymer particles and dust properties
• Investigation into and new methods to characterize the long term performance of polyethylene

Geoscience

• Diagenetic history, cementation, clay formation, burial history and petrographic studies of the McMurray Fm to determine the variation in ore quality
• Emplacement variability and degradation of Northern Alberta bitumen using novel approaches
• Resolve the stratigraphy and sedimentology of Post Cretaceous sediments in the Athabasca region
• Applications of remote sensing to mine development
• Investigation of mud sedimentation in shallow water clastic depositional environments
• Modeling of oil migration pathways through the Palaeozoic sediments of the Athabasca basin
• Application of geophysical methods in predicting oil sands reservoir properties

The CIHR-IPPH Trailblazer Award is expected to:

• Recognize the exemplary efforts and activities of exceptional Canadian researchers at different career stages who have created a highly influential body of work that has had a substantial impact on the field of population and public health research and its use in policy and/or practice in Canada and/or internationally. This award will identify trailblazers in public health based on the following criteria:
  1. Level of impact and experience in Canada and/or internationally in one or more of the relevant research areas in population and public health research.
  2. Level of influence on policy and/or practice in Canada and/or internationally in one or more of the relevant research areas in population and public health research.
  3. Extent of achievements in Canada and/or internationally in the areas of leadership, mentorship, and capacity building at the individual or institutional level in the area of population and public health research.

The objective of this funding opportunity is to support patient participation at the SPOR Summit 2018.