VINELAND, Ontario, June 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) has been awarded $614,280 through the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation's Ontario Research Fund – Research Infrastructure (ORF-RI). The award will support research for the control of crop diseases and ensure continued high quality crop production.
The ORF-RI funding builds on an investment from the Canada Foundation for Innovation awarded to Vineland and the University of Toronto this past May. The grant will be used to purchase new equipment to improve Vineland's plant growth facilities and plant phenotyping capabilities by assessing and characterizing genetics, chemistry and overall performance of plants.
"This funding will bring additional cutting-edge research tools to Vineland and the University of Toronto to help our collaborative team identify key interactions between plants and pathogens to develop innovative and effective solutions to protect Canadian crops," said Dr. David Liscombe, Vineland's Research Scientist, Biochemistry.
For more information on this research funding program announcement, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/nh2wo7l
About Vineland Research and Innovation Centre
With a highly-skilled research team, oversight from an independent Board of Directors, engagement from an international Science Advisory Committee and collaboration with more than 160 global partners including a Stakeholder Advisory Committee, Vineland's goal is to enhance Canadian growers' commercial success through results-oriented innovation. We are an independent, not-for-profit organization funded in part by Growing Forward 2. For the latest on our research and partnerships, visit http://www.vinelandresearch.com/
About the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation
The Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation supports world-class research, commercialization and innovation taking place across Ontario through a range of programs and services like the Ontario Research Fund, Innovation Demonstration Fund and Ontario Venture Capital Fund.