Good morning. I'm Dr. Cindy Bell, and I'm the executive vice-president at Genome Canada. I'm here on behalf of our president, Dr. Pierre Meulien.
I am pleased to appear in front of this committee today in reference to the $65 million provided in the budget to Genome Canada. As many of you may be aware, Genome Canada and the six regional Genome centres located across Canada are not-for-profit corporations that work together as the primary funding and information resource relating to genomics research in Canada. It is a unique model of federal and provincial partnering. Since 2000, and with the support of parliamentarians, including several of you around the table today, the Government of Canada has committed $915 million to Genome Canada, to which approximately $1 billion in partnered co-funding has been committed.
The first decade of Genome Canada has been dedicated to building what we call the “Canadian genomics enterprise”, funding excellent science identified through a best-in-class international peer review process; building a community across Canada of genomic scientists who many recognize as international leaders in their fields; supporting state-of-the-art science and technology innovation centres to provide those genomic scientists with access to leading-edge technologies; building strong linkages and partnerships with the international genomics research community; and paving the way for real-world applications by considering up front the ethical, economic, environmental, legal, and social aspects of the genomics research we support.
We have done all of this keeping an eye on how these funds have been expended. In this regard, we've undergone a number of third-arty assessments, all of which have been positive in their findings.
We are now beginning to see the results of the federal investment in research, and the results are exciting: the development of a diagnostic test for fatal heart disease, resulting in the life-saving treatment of implantation of defibrillators into the chests of those who are affected; Canada has the leading platform in the world for conifer research, enabling evidence-based decision-making in the management of our forests, one of Canada's most precious resources; demonstration that genes are involved in the underlying cause of autism, resulting in the development of diagnostics for a percentage of those affected and leading to early identification and intervention; impacts on food security, with research aimed at helping farmers increase crop yields and providing the livestock and fisheries industries with tools to raise healthier animals, giving Canadian industries a competitive advantage globally; and addressing head on the challenges facing the environment, such as using microbial communities to diminish the environmental impacts of the oil and pulp and paper industries, to clean up contaminated sites, and to create new biofuels.
The next logical step for Genome Canada is a sharpened focus on the translation of genomics discoveries to applications, ensuring that new knowledge translates into innovations that enhance Canada's prosperity in support of the Government of Canada's innovation agenda, which is crucial to the economic development of this country.
Genome Canada is currently developing a strategic plan that will map out our strategy for the next five years, building on Canada's strengths to help Canadians take their place in the global bio-economy, an economy where biological sciences and biotechnology contribute to a significant share of economic output.
The $75 million invested in Genome Canada last year allowed us to take the first step in that direction. Within months of the 2010 federal budget announcement, Genome Canada launched competitions to identify where best to make its investments, following the principles of the economic action plan.
A $60-million competition, with funding directed towards research with a high potential for impact and a particular emphasis on economic return, was launched. The result is $30 million invested in research in the areas of forestry and the environment and $30 million supporting strategically important research in Genome Canada's other sectors: human health, agriculture, and fisheries. With partner funding, a total of $120 million is now in the hands of some of the best scientists in the world.
We also had a $15 million investment in our science and technology innovation centres. These centres, which are located across Canada, provide state-of-the-art technologies, expertise, and infrastructure to Genome Canada funded and other researchers from academia and industry.
The June 2011 budget, which is the subject of your deliberations today, provides Genome Canada with $65 million. At Genome Canada's June 2011 board of directors meeting, they approved a plan for the investment of $65 million, which includes a $40 million competition focused on human health.
As part of our new approach, we will place even greater emphasis on translating the results of research into practical applications that create benefits to Canadians. We will engage end users, such as industry, federal and provincial policy-makers, and regulators upfront and throughout the research process to ensure the relevance of the research we support. We also have a $5 million investment proposed on bioinformatics and computational biology. Due to the high throughput nature of the genome sciences, an immense quantity of data is generated that needs to be stored and analyzed in more and more sophisticated ways. For example, a single week's run on a next-generation DNA sequencing machine generates approximately one terabyte, or 1,000 gigabytes, of data.
We've included a $6.5 million investment in three key international initiatives that we support, each led by a Canadian scientist. As requested, the remainder of the funds will be used to support the operations of Genome Canada and the regional genome centres.
Our vision for the future will require greater financial investments. We will make this a reality by growing the funding pie, further leveraging the federal government's investment and bringing new investors to the table.
In 2010 we welcomed a new president and CEO, Dr. Meulien. He is well positioned to lead the Canadian genomics enterprise and strengthen the role of genomics research in the development of the Canadian bioeconomy in partnership with the Government of Canada.
Genome Canada is excited about the future and the potential impact of genomics research on the health and well-being of Canadians. To quote one of our scientific leaders, “The way we define the success of our research is to start a project, finish a project, and along the way make discoveries that have an impact.”
We strongly encourage the passage of this important budget bill.
I look forward to any questions.