The Centre for Innovation at Medicine Hat College received a five-year $750,000 grant for agricultural applied research by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
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Medicine Hat College has received its largest grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada that will provide funding over the next five years to conduct research efforts aligned with the needs and priorities of the local agriculture community.
The council has provided the college’s Centre of Innovation – ‘C4i’ – with a $750,000 grant that will be provided in $150,000 increments annually to be used with a focus on applied soil research. The goal is to enhance production and optimize resource utilization while considering factors including labour shortages and impacts of climate change, explains Morgan Blair, dean for the School of Business and Continue Studies and the School of Trades and Technology.
“C4i will be developing an Agriculture Applied Research Program that aims to tackle pressing challenges and opportunities by emphasizing technology, science and business innovation within the agricultural sector,” Blair says in a release.
C4i was launched at the college two years ago with the aim of connecting entrepreneurs and small- and medium-sized businesses with researchers, faculty, students and industry partners to collaboratively work on solutions that matter in the region.
The partners involved in the latest grant funding are stakeholders from the agriculture sector in the province’s south region, “ensuring that the research efforts are closely aligned with the needs and priorities of the local ag community.”
“By fostering collaboration, increasing participation and providing training opportunities, the program aims to advance applied research priorities within the college and the broader agricultural community,” says Nancy Brown, MHC vice-president academic and provost.
“Medicine Hat College and its Centre for Innovation are grateful for NSERC’s support of this initiative that will address major innovation needs in the agricultural sector, explore solutions to enhance productivity, optimize resource utilization and mitigate challenges posed by labour shortages and climate change impacts.”
C4i says its next steps include identifying an industry expert to lead the applied research program, as well as consulting with members of the community to gather critical insight into pressing agricultural challenges in the region and beyond.
