Genome Canada (GC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) have signed a joint initiative agreement to jointly support social sciences and humanities research and related activities pertaining to research in the field of genomics.
Next generation genomics, with its decreasing sequencing costs and significant ability to generate and analyze vast amounts of data is opening up whole new fields of exploration for life scientists as well as social science and humanities scholars passionate about advancing biotechnology in unforeseeable ways. Genomics-based innovation in fields such as synthetic biology, or agriculture to optimize farming processes, or protecting the environment through bioremediation and biofuels, provide just a few examples. The significant ethical, economic, environmental, legal and/or social challenges and opportunities of this new wave of innovations in the field of genomics can entail complex economic and social changes, and therefore represent a potentially rich topic for social scientists and humanities scholars to explore.
You can continue reading about this program on Genome Canada’s website or contact George Poulakidas, our Genomics and Society Advisor.
