WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
2008.06.07
Nick Martin
U of M may get huge facility for grain studies Global centre of excellence planned
The University of Manitoba is in line to house a $150-million world-wide one-of-a-kind centre of excellence on grain crops Excellence within five years.
Treasury Board president Vic Toews made the stunning announcement in Ottawa that five major organizations and agencies could consolidate into an enormous new body researching, developing and marketing grain products at the Fort Garry campus.
"It's a huge opportunity for Manitoba. This is going to be the kind of investment that ensures that Winnipeg has a great future," Toews said in an interview.
A federal panel that examined 157 proposals to consolidate labs at universities across the country whittled the list down to 24, then recommended going ahead with five. But only two have the green light to develop a business case to be built, said Toews -- U of M, and a geological centre of excellence at the University of Ottawa.
"This is just a coup for us, an absolute coup. There's no question, it would be a real powerhouse," a delighted U of M president Emoke Szathmary said Friday.
The partners in the proposed centre of excellence in grain crops are the Cereal Research Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the University of Manitoba, some components of the Grain Research Laboratory of the Canadian Grain Commission, the Canadian International Grains Institute, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, the Manitoba government and the Canadian Wheat Board, Toews' office said.
"Housing a facility like this in Winnipeg would be the only one in the world," said Barry Senft, executive director of the Canadian International Grains Institute. "It is a massive undertaking -- I'm not sure there is a precedent." Senft said that the project would need a building as big as 28,000 square meters, and that the logical place to build it would be at U of M's SmartPark.
While the focus would be on cereal grains, research could encompass more than two dozen grains, such as soybeans and canola, he pointed out.
"We are talking about a facility that would house a number of existing groups," he said. "It would be in the range of $100 to $150 million." "It would be a huge building," said Szathmary. It could be adjacent and linked to the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Neutraceuticals," she said.
But the key would be the agencies, the companies, the industries that would be attracted to the city to become part of the centre of excellence and its research, Senft said.
"The centre of excellence then becomes the core of expertise -- it would attract other companies, other agencies, other industries to Winnipeg," he said.
Szathmary said that there is enormous potential for attracting even more research organizations to SmartPark.
Toews cautioned that the project must still have a business plan that gets treasury board approval. But he was confident it would get the money to go ahead: "I have good ideas of sources from the government and the private sector," Toews said.
"This would attract people to Manitoba, Winnipeg specifically.
I see this doing exactly the same thing we were able to do with the virology lab," Toews said.
Szathmary said U of M would not be paying any of the capital costs of the project, noting that SmartPark is a wholly-owned subsidiary, but a separate entity from the university.
But, she cautioned, the parties still have to work out the high annual operating costs, maintenance, governance, intellectual property rights to the research, and other details. "As an institution, the university can't be left holding the bag," said Szathmary.
Senft said that financing the project still has to be worked out, although most of the partners are federal organizations.
And as for who would run it, "That's a good question," he said.
Under the proposal, the centre will integrate the management of personnel, physical infrastructure, and intellectual property to foster innovation and competitiveness along the full value chain of grain crops, from basic discovery of traits and cultivars to international marketing efforts.
Researchers, producers, processors and marketers will come together to focus on increasing productivity and scientific excellence through integration, acceleration and enhancement of research and development activities of researchers, and through the outreach and commercialization efforts of the centre's partners.
A report prepared more than a year ago by consulting firm Meyers Norris Penny for several city-based organizations concluded that a creating a centre of excellence putting plant breeders, product development and marketing experts, and quality-control specialists under one roof, would be a boon to the $12-billion Canadian grain industry.
The Meyers Norris Penny report said if the centre were to succeed in bringing new and better crop varieties to market more quickly through greater industry co-operation, it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars over time to the grain industry.
The organizations are located in Winnipeg, and three of them -- the grain commission, grains institute and malting barley centre -- are already located under one roof, the Grain Commission Building at 303 Main St.
But the 35-year-old building, which contains a number of research and product-testing labs, needs upgrading, Ottawa has decreed.
And the Agriculture Canada Cereal Research Centre at the U of M campus is on its last legs. It would cost Ottawa $40 million to replace the more than 25-year-old structure, the Meyers Norris Penny report said.
With files from Larry Kusch Who wants in Five Winnipeg-based grain industry organizations want to merge some or all of their operations in a new centre of excellence.
Canadian Grain Commission: A federal agency that regulates grain handling in Canada and establishes and maintains standards of quality for Canadian grains.
Canadian International Grains Institute: A non-profit market development organization that promotes Canada's field-crop industries at home and around the world through educational programming and technical services.
Cereal Research Centre: A federal research facility that develops new crop varieties for Prairie farmers.
Canadian Wheat Board: An organization that markets wheat and barley on behalf of Canadian farmers throughout the world.
Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre: An organization that supports Canada's malting barley, malt and brewing industries through applied research and pilotscale trials at its pilot malting and brewing facilities in Winnipeg.
2008.06.07
Nick Martin
U of M may get huge facility for grain studies Global centre of excellence planned
The University of Manitoba is in line to house a $150-million world-wide one-of-a-kind centre of excellence on grain crops Excellence within five years.
Treasury Board president Vic Toews made the stunning announcement in Ottawa that five major organizations and agencies could consolidate into an enormous new body researching, developing and marketing grain products at the Fort Garry campus.
"It's a huge opportunity for Manitoba. This is going to be the kind of investment that ensures that Winnipeg has a great future," Toews said in an interview.
A federal panel that examined 157 proposals to consolidate labs at universities across the country whittled the list down to 24, then recommended going ahead with five. But only two have the green light to develop a business case to be built, said Toews -- U of M, and a geological centre of excellence at the University of Ottawa.
"This is just a coup for us, an absolute coup. There's no question, it would be a real powerhouse," a delighted U of M president Emoke Szathmary said Friday.
The partners in the proposed centre of excellence in grain crops are the Cereal Research Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the University of Manitoba, some components of the Grain Research Laboratory of the Canadian Grain Commission, the Canadian International Grains Institute, the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre, the Manitoba government and the Canadian Wheat Board, Toews' office said.
"Housing a facility like this in Winnipeg would be the only one in the world," said Barry Senft, executive director of the Canadian International Grains Institute. "It is a massive undertaking -- I'm not sure there is a precedent." Senft said that the project would need a building as big as 28,000 square meters, and that the logical place to build it would be at U of M's SmartPark.
While the focus would be on cereal grains, research could encompass more than two dozen grains, such as soybeans and canola, he pointed out.
"We are talking about a facility that would house a number of existing groups," he said. "It would be in the range of $100 to $150 million." "It would be a huge building," said Szathmary. It could be adjacent and linked to the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Neutraceuticals," she said.
But the key would be the agencies, the companies, the industries that would be attracted to the city to become part of the centre of excellence and its research, Senft said.
"The centre of excellence then becomes the core of expertise -- it would attract other companies, other agencies, other industries to Winnipeg," he said.
Szathmary said that there is enormous potential for attracting even more research organizations to SmartPark.
Toews cautioned that the project must still have a business plan that gets treasury board approval. But he was confident it would get the money to go ahead: "I have good ideas of sources from the government and the private sector," Toews said.
"This would attract people to Manitoba, Winnipeg specifically.
I see this doing exactly the same thing we were able to do with the virology lab," Toews said.
Szathmary said U of M would not be paying any of the capital costs of the project, noting that SmartPark is a wholly-owned subsidiary, but a separate entity from the university.
But, she cautioned, the parties still have to work out the high annual operating costs, maintenance, governance, intellectual property rights to the research, and other details. "As an institution, the university can't be left holding the bag," said Szathmary.
Senft said that financing the project still has to be worked out, although most of the partners are federal organizations.
And as for who would run it, "That's a good question," he said.
Under the proposal, the centre will integrate the management of personnel, physical infrastructure, and intellectual property to foster innovation and competitiveness along the full value chain of grain crops, from basic discovery of traits and cultivars to international marketing efforts.
Researchers, producers, processors and marketers will come together to focus on increasing productivity and scientific excellence through integration, acceleration and enhancement of research and development activities of researchers, and through the outreach and commercialization efforts of the centre's partners.
A report prepared more than a year ago by consulting firm Meyers Norris Penny for several city-based organizations concluded that a creating a centre of excellence putting plant breeders, product development and marketing experts, and quality-control specialists under one roof, would be a boon to the $12-billion Canadian grain industry.
The Meyers Norris Penny report said if the centre were to succeed in bringing new and better crop varieties to market more quickly through greater industry co-operation, it could mean hundreds of millions of dollars over time to the grain industry.
The organizations are located in Winnipeg, and three of them -- the grain commission, grains institute and malting barley centre -- are already located under one roof, the Grain Commission Building at 303 Main St.
But the 35-year-old building, which contains a number of research and product-testing labs, needs upgrading, Ottawa has decreed.
And the Agriculture Canada Cereal Research Centre at the U of M campus is on its last legs. It would cost Ottawa $40 million to replace the more than 25-year-old structure, the Meyers Norris Penny report said.
With files from Larry Kusch Who wants in Five Winnipeg-based grain industry organizations want to merge some or all of their operations in a new centre of excellence.
Canadian Grain Commission: A federal agency that regulates grain handling in Canada and establishes and maintains standards of quality for Canadian grains.
Canadian International Grains Institute: A non-profit market development organization that promotes Canada's field-crop industries at home and around the world through educational programming and technical services.
Cereal Research Centre: A federal research facility that develops new crop varieties for Prairie farmers.
Canadian Wheat Board: An organization that markets wheat and barley on behalf of Canadian farmers throughout the world.
Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre: An organization that supports Canada's malting barley, malt and brewing industries through applied research and pilotscale trials at its pilot malting and brewing facilities in Winnipeg.
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