The Environmental Energy Institute Presents

The GREAT Institute (Proposal)

Greenhouse Research Education And Training Institute

Stay Tuned For Our Next Webinar Fall 2020

Check It Out.

Now, perhaps more than ever, people are better understanding the importance of supply chains and food supply to national security. Greenhouses offer resilient, controlled growing environments capable of producing efficient, targeted, high quality yields. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) has a significant and expanding role to play in the Canadian economy. Ontario Greenhouse vegetable production alone is a billion dollar industry that has plans to grow at unprecedented rates over the next five years. The sector is rich with innovation and development. Growers, government agencies, NGOs, and academia have each contributed to moving Canada's CEA industry forward. While there are examples of inter-agency cooperation, no one agency exists that can act as a central hub for the research, dissemination, and knowledge translation - to put innovation into wide practice. A prospective GREAT Institute would provide a hub for the coordination of CEA research opportunities and activities, but also the wider education of all CEA stakeholders (including the public). Such an Institute would leverage the expertise of grower, government, NGO, and academic members to train the next generation of CEA professionals for Canadian and wider global employment.

Webinar Objectives.

Determine all categories of stakeholder and identify key partners in each category.
Highlight the most pressing/strategic research, education, and training needs of the Canadian CEA Industry.
Identify challenges/opportunities with current research, education, and training networks/architectures.
Determine the pro's and con's of a proposed GREAT Institute.
Discuss the value of exporting unique Canadian CEA expertise to the rest of the world.

Who Should Participate?

GROWERS

Weigh-in with what's important to you. Could a central institute for research, education, and training be useful/helpful to the sector? Do you see a different or better way forward?

This is your sector - participate and shape subsequent efforts in this theme.

GOVERNMENT

Hear what growers are saying. Contribute your own experiences with similar efforts. Provide inputs on how such an institute may help to reach stakeholders of government research.

NGOs

Could a central institute be a helpful conduit to deliver your members' research, education, and training mandates?

ACADEMICS

Offer your take on what education and training services could be offered by academic institutions.

How could this institute help connect researchers with other experts in the sector with shared interests?

Our First Webinar Agenda (June 25.2020)

1030 - 1045 Concept Introduction.
1045 - 1115 Easy/Fun Interactive Feedback and Stakeholder Inputs Solicitation.
1115 - 1145 Expert Commentary.
- 1115 - 1122 Dr. Justine Taylor.
- 1122 - 1129 Mr. Lucas Semple.
- 1129 - 1136 Mr. Gene Ingratta.
- 1136 - 1143 Mr. Peter Quiring.
1145 - 1200 Summary Comments and Next Steps.