Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

Fungi are amongst the deadliest human pathogens, and by far, the costliest plant pathogens in agriculture and forestry in Canada. Every year, more than half a million Canadians are affected by fungal infections. Some pathogenic fungi have led to the disappearance of entire populations of trees such as elms, chestnuts, and white pines, and threaten bat and amphibian diversity. In agriculture, the cost of fungal diseases and mycotoxin contaminations is several billion dollars of losses a year in North America alone. Canadian companies and government agencies are constantly contending with the ability of fungi to evolve higher pathogenicity and resistance to the limited number of mitigation strategies that are currently available. Canada needs highly qualified personnel equipped with the latest knowledge and technologies on fungal pathogens, and the leadership and entrepreneurship skills to develop innovative solutions that will control and prevent fungal diseases. We are proposing to develop a pan-Canadian interdisciplinary training program on the evolution of fungal pathogens (EvoFunPath) centered around multidisciplinary Canadian and international experts in the field. Over the next 6 years, 69 MSc, Ph.D., and postdoctoral EvoFunPath fellows will be trained and ready for positions in academia, Canadian companies, and government agencies. These fellows will also have the skills needed to develop new technological solutions and to create new companies across Canada. EvoFunPath fellows will be prepared to broadly contribute their expertise towards ensuring the delivery of safe food to Canadians, reducing the detrimental effects of fungi on human and agricultural health, and towards maintaining the integrity of our natural and managed ecosystems.