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Minister Ritz and the Chairs of Genome Canada and Western Grains Research Foundation, said the CAN$93million investment will increase knowledge of genomic make-up and then apply it to agricultural and aquatic productivity and food safety.

Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, said: “(The) investment will harness Canada’s strength in genomics research to provide a boost to our agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture industries in Saskatchewan and across Canada in order to compete and win in the global marketplace.”

The projects selected for funding are each valued at between CAN$5million to CAN$10 million. They include four at the University of Saskatchewan and span an array of topics, including making northern fisheries sustainable.

Each project will be led by leading academic institutions based in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec and involve researchers from across Canada.

Canada is already a global leader in several areas of genomics as applied to agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture.

Commercial fisheries, aquaculture and processing employed more than 80,000 jobs and contributed CAN$6.4billion in economic activity, CAN$3.9billion in exports and a positive trade balance of CAN$1.5billion to the Canadian economy in 2010.

Genome Canada is a not-for-profit organisation that acts as a catalyst for developing and applying genomics and genomic-based technologies, to create economic and social benefits for Canadians.