Vancouver, BC - Genome British Columbia has announced the results of the first Science Opportunities Fund competition in which nine awards have been made to researchers in the Province with a total approved budget of $2.3 million. The nine teams of researchers located in Vancouver, the Okanagan and on Vancouver Island are launching peer-reviewed, short-term research projects the results of which will have impacts on important sectors of BC’s economy and environment.

Approved projects range from understanding the genetics of sablefish, the biology of lavender, exploring the conifer genome to aid with future breeding and management of conifer trees, developing health assessment tools for marine mussels, the study of the wild bullfrog (an excellent indicator for environmental quality) to human health topics including cancer immunotherapy, the BC BioLibrary (a health platform) and support for building better bioinformatics which will generate more accurate data.

 “We are proud of the scientists whose curiosity has created these targeted projects designed to have a positive impact on the collective well-being of the province and look forward to seeing the results in the near future,” said Dr. Alan Winter, President and CEO of Genome BC.

A total of nine projects with budgets ranging from $68,000 to $609,950 were recommended by an international review panel and approved by the Board of Directors.

It is anticipated that another Science Opportunities Fund competition will be launched in the coming weeks. This funding competition was created based on feedback from genomics researchers in BC. Genome BC is involved primarily in large and medium size project and platform competitions, but scientists pointed out a funding gap for smaller and short-term research projects which could enable BC-based researchers to compete for larger national or international opportunities. Therefore the Science Opportunities Fund was created to meet these needs. A full description of the competition and its requirements is available at www.genomebc.ca.

About Genome BC:
Founded in 2000, Genome BC works collaboratively with government, universities and industry as the catalyst for a genomics-driven life sciences cluster with significant social and economic benefits for the Province and Canada. The organization’s research portfolio, over $380 million since inception, includes 58 projects and technology platforms focused on areas of strategic importance to British Columbia such as human health, forestry, fisheries, bioenergy,
mining, agriculture, ethics, and the environment.

For additional information, contact:  
Julia White
Communications Officer
T: 604 637 4378

OR

Linda Bartz    
Director, Communications & Education
T: 604 637 4373