Food Research Program
Research > Conduct Research > OMAFRA > Food Research Program > General Principles and Overview
General Principles and Overview
The Food Research Program; like other OMAFRA/U of G Research programs, focuses on integrated issues-based research proposals that address a research topic with a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach.
The Food Research Program is structured on the following general principles
- A clear focus on value-chains and outcomes-based programs that encourage innovation in meeting the needs and priorities of Ontario as a whole, and the province’s agri-food sector in particular.
- A strong emphasis on building cross-disciplinary teams (including and engaging researchers from various departments and other institutions where needed) to combine complementary expertise and research capacities to more comprehensively address specific outcomes in the Food sector. Small and focused teams are also eligible and encouraged to apply, where objectives and project budget are scaled to providing excellent value in addressing focused outcomes.
- A clearly documented leverage of OMAFRA / UofG Research Program funds in the form of cash and/or in-kind contributions in direct support of the proposed research
The OMAFRA / UofG Agreement for delivery of agri-food research in Ontario has provided an effective and efficient means of improving Ontario’s competitiveness, social and economic well-being, and human and environmental health. In the past, programs have been focused on these outcomes but structured around specific commodities (Animal and Plant Programs), broad disciplines (Resources Management and Environment Program) or targeted outcomes (Food, Sustainable Rural Communities Programs).
Value chains or value networks attempt to describe the linkages that exist between various sectors and participants in the food and agricultural production continuum. A simplistic value-chain could be described as ‘field-to-fork’, involving the entire spectrum of crop and animal production inputs, production management systems, harvesting, handling, storage, transportation, processing, refining, packaging, wholesaling, distribution and retailing with value provided from one link to the next in the chain (ideally, in both directions). In reality, today’s agri-food sector must operate more as a value-network where there are not only vertical ‘field-to-fork’ chains, but also many horizontal linkages (across disciplines, across sector lines, across traditional commodity or product utilization patterns, etc.). To address societal and agri-food sector priorities in the most meaningful and practical way, research programs must also be built around these value networks. While ‘value-chains’ may not be an obvious model for resources management and environment research projects, nevertheless the same principles of multi-disciplinary, integrated teams does apply.
The University of Guelph has a unique complement of research expertise, capability and infrastructure that provides the foundation for building the multidisciplinary teams and research programs needed to address the listed priorities. A key component, therefore, of the Food proposal will be the teams of researchers assembled to address the identified research issue(s). Collaborative partnerships should be built with researchers in other institutions where their expertise complements and strengthens the Guelph-based proposals to ensure that the best science is brought to bear on the issues. Similar collaborative arrangements with private sector partners are also encouraged, recognizing, however, that there are often additional factors (IP ownership/access; restrictions on publication, etc.) that must be taken into consideration in these alliances.
And central to these research programs must be the over-riding objective of providing value to Ontario society and the province’s agri-food sector.