Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

The proposed NSERC CREATE for a Meat Education and Training Network (MEaTnet) for Assuring Meat Safety and Quality in the Industrial Stream is within the ""Manufacturing"" priority of the NSERC CREATE program. At present, no post-graduate meat science degree or specialization exists in Canada because no single university in Canada has the critical mass to provide the breadth and depth of education needed to produce graduates ready for the meat industry. The proposed NSERC CREATE MEaTnet will establish a multi-disciplinary core of meat researchers and educators that will be capable of delivering research-based M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree programs with industry internships. New courses imparting professional and industry skills to graduate students will be implemented as intensive field trips and workshops to address meat industry concerns regarding post-graduate work readiness. Internships with our industry partners will introduce meat science graduate students to industry and manufacturing drivers such as process efficiency, good manufacturing practices, International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Six Sigma quality management systems, and the importance of personal leadership skills. The new program generated by the NSERC CREATE will become an industry-certified, national post-graduate program designed for and with industry that will enhance the international competitiveness of the Canadian meat industry by adding 'job-ready' meat safety and quality expertise.