Sept - Oct 2016                                                                                                       
                   

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Welcome to the latest happenings in the OMAFRA - U of G Partnership:
Research, Veterinary Clinical Education, Agriculture & Food Lab, and Animal Health Lab programs.
    Fun partnership facts: Test your knowledge
 

1. The OMAFRA - U of G Partnership Research Program has announced the 2016/17 Call for Letters of Intent (LOIs) from U of G researchers.  

 Question: How many research proposals have been funded since the  current OMAFRA - U of G Partnership began in 2008?
        
 2. Selection of Partnership-funded research proposals is a rigorous, two-stage, competitive process.  Proposals are reviewed for their relevance to the program priorities, scientific merit and potential industry and public benefit.

 Question: What percentage of proposals submitted to the Partnership Research Program are funded? 
   
        
3. The Partnership strongly encourages collaborations in the research it funds - with other scientists, government specialists, and especially with the potential end users of the knowledge or technology.

  Question: How many collaborators are currently involved in  Partnership-funded research projects?
 
 
Answers to questions at the bottom 
The Partnership's 2016/17 research call: Delivering OMAFRA's priorities
 
U of G has issued the annual Call for Letters of Intent (LOIs) for the Partnership Research Program. Information on OMAFRA priorities in all research themes is available online and at townhall meetings. The research themes are listed below:                    
Agricultural and Rural Policy
Bioeconomy and Industrial Uses
Emergency Management
Environmental Sustainability
Food for Health
Product Development and Value Chains
Production Systems - Plants & Animals
 
The benefits of plain language: 

Researchers benefit when their grant proposals and reports are clearly written and can be understood by a variety of readers. 
The Office of Research is holding two workshops on plain language writing to coincide with the 2016/17 Call for LOIs: 
Oct 11 (rm 1715. OVC Lifetime Learning Centre. 2-3:30 pm) 
Oct 13 (rm 335. University Centre. 1:30-2:30 pm). 
Email: kttadmin@uoguelph.ca to register.

CPHAZ: Sharing the latest on zoonoses
 
Did you know that the number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease in southern Ontario has increased annually since it became a reportable disease in 1988?

     Adult female       Blackleg Tick
That was one of the findings reported at the International Conference on Diseases in Nature Communicable to Man (Aug 7-9), hosted by U of G's  Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses  (CPHAZ)  and the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative.   

Members of the medical, veterinary and public health communities discussed the latest findings in diseases acquired from natural sources, including animals (wild or domestic), and caused by contaminated foods or water, arthropods, bacteria, viruses and other pests.

CPHAZ is funded in part by the Partnership.

Serving up nutritional knowledge to seniors 
                       
Prof. Alison Duncan is putting her knowledge of nutrition for healthy aging to good use. Her team is developing social media resources and a recipe guide for menu planning that promote Ontario agri-foods for older adults.  

Prof. Duncan's partners include the Dietitians of Canada and the Schlegel - University of Waterloo Research Institute for Aging.  Prof. Duncan's project  runs until spring 2017 and is funded by the Partnership's KTT Research Program. Follow her team on Twitter @foodhealthaging.

In This Issue
Upcoming Events


Emergency Management Expo. Nov. 14, Guelph
For information contact
kelly.jackson@ontario.
ca 

Soil Health Forum. Nov.28, Guelph
For information contact
kelly.jackson@ontario.
ca 

Sept. 26 to Oct 7, Guelph.
Note that townhalls are specific to each research theme. 
AFL a trailblazer in identification of food pathogen 

Among the strains of   E. coli responsible for food-borne illness, a group of 'top seven' are particularly nasty. These seven are termed 'shigatoxigenic' E. coli  (STEC)
Dr. Shu Chen, AFL
because the toxins they release are similar to those of the  Shigella dysentaeriae bacteria that cause dysentery. 

Despite their virulence, most of these group of seven  E. coli  strains are difficult to identify with existing methodologies.  The need for accurate identification has recently become more compelling; certain beef products exported to the U.S. must now be certified free of the 'top seven' strains.

Dr. Shu Chen of U of G's Agriculture and Food Lab (AFL) is collaborating with the Public Health Agency of Canada to test a new approach for the hard-to-identify E. coli strains. If validated, it will provide greater accuracy, and reduce risk for food industries and consumers.  
  
  The AFL is funded in part by the Partnership.
OVC still on top
 
The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) was again ranked in the top ten veterinary schools in the world by the prestigious Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World Rankings. 

Based on academic and employer reputation, as well as how often faculty research is cited within academic publications, the OVC ranks the highest of any Canadian university program in any discipline.

In April 2016, OVC received notification that the American Veterinary Medical Association, in conjunction with the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association had granted it continued accreditation for another seven years, the maximum period permitted.

The Veterinary Clinical Education Program, which supports many elements of veterinary training and research, is funded by the Partnership.

 Answers to fun partnership facts Bottom

1 . From April 30, 2008 to March 31, 2016, 541 research projects have been funded across the seven research priority areas of the Partnership Research Program. This funding leverages additional research investment from industry and other levels of government.

2. Although many excellent research proposals are received in the Partnership's annual Call for LOIs (Letters of Intent), only about 50% are funded. The committees that review and select the proposals are comprised of researchers, industry and government specialists who carefully consider the merits of each and how well it addresses the research priorities.

3. There are about 250 scientists working together in Partnership-funded research projects at any one time. These collaborations range from U of G colleagues across campus to those in other Canadian and international universities, as well as industry leaders and associations, government and many other stakeholders.