August 25, 2005 - Winnipeg, Manitoba

Competition III Results Announcement
- Dr. Martin Godbout, President and CEO of Genome Canada -

Thank you Marcel.

Let me begin by adding my own words of welcome to all of you. This is a great day for Genome Canada and we are honoured to be joined by Minister Emerson and Minister Chomiak and, of course, our successful researchers!

With the creation of Genome Canada just five years ago, this country made clear its determination to be among the leaders of the genomics revolution - an exciting new field of knowledge exploring the very building blocks of life.

From health care to agriculture, forestry to fisheries, few sectors of our economy will be unaffected by genomics’ reach. And few areas of science hold such potential to enrich our lives.

Today, Canada takes another important step toward becoming one of the leading countries for genomics research in the world. We are fortunate to find ourselves in the ‘sweet spot’ at the intersection of science and economics, a creator of wealth and a generator of jobs.

The projects we are announcing today will bring benefits to various sectors of our social and economic fabric, such as:

• efforts to improve cod aquaculture in the Atlantic provinces;
• an examination of the socio-ethical and legal aspects of genomics and public health;
• development of a nanotechnology-based system to diagnose infectious diseases quickly and at the point of care; and
• identifying novel traits in spruce trees to enhance their pest resistance and ability to adapt to changing climate.

I am delighted to introduce local researchers who have been successful in this competition:

Dr. Geoff Hicks, project leader of a large-scale project on the North American Conditional Mouse Mutagenesis Project here at the University of Manitoba and one of his colleagues, Dr. Hao Ding.

As was the case with Competitions I and II, the goal of Competition III is to support world-leading genomics and proteomics research at the highest level of scientific excellence.

To ensure that only the best of the best received funding, we again conducted a rigorous evaluation process.

The first phase of the selection process - the Due Diligence Review - was undertaken to ensure that each project demonstrated sound financial and management plans, including a well-developed and feasible co-funding plan.

A multidisciplinary International Peer Review Panel then undertook a comprehensive scientific review of the applications. Applicants which passed the initial streamlining review were invited to continue to the second stage, which involved a face-to-face meeting with the Panel.

In June, the Panel convened in Montreal, where subgroups met with individual applicants. These subgroups then discussed each application and determined a rating. The full panel reconvened to review each proposal, with the lead reviewer for each application presenting the subgroup’s report on the proposal.

As a last step, the Panel determined final ratings and budgets for each application and made recommendations to the Board of Genome Canada which had the ultimate responsibility for determining which projects would be funded.

To say that we were impressed with the quality of the proposals would be an understatement! There is no doubt that Canada’s scientific community is among the best in the world and the excellence of the proposals certainly confirmed our strength in this emerging field.

That is why it was so important that the review process be as comprehensive and rigorous as it was - and why the final decisions as to which projects to fund were so difficult.

With the projects announced today, Canada cements its reputation as a leader in genomics research - a place where the best work is being done, where the greatest opportunities lie.

Let me add my own congratulations to all of the successful applicants. You have come through a long, tough process, but your exciting work is just begun. Best of luck to all of you as you continue to push forward the frontiers of knowledge.

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