Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) has published its 2023-2024 Innovation Report, pointing out the 117-year history of creating opportunities in the Canadian horticultural industry. President and CEO Ian Potter lays out the vision in his foreword to the report.  

The Vineland 2023-2026 Strategic Plan and associated Innovation Strategy address these challenges and opportunities by clearly defining and understanding the Canadian horticultural economic sector, our clients’ markets and their operational requirements in order to provide the innovative response to promote growth of the horticultural industry. Specific Innovation Strategy goals are to:

1.  Diversify and enhance horticultural products for domestic and export markets.

2.  Ensure new technologies are optimized for the Canadian environment.

3.  Improve the connectivity of products and processes across supply and value chains.

Vineland also places a significant emphasis and effort on the effective benefits management derived from our innovation activities. In many cases, this is enshrined as intellectual property (IP), a corporate asset held and managed for use by Vineland and our clients. The principles of our IP policy include:

-  Promote and advance scientific investigation and research in horticulture.

-  Facilitate technology transfer to industry ensuring Vineland’s results benefit the public.

-   Procedures for determining rights and obligations with respect to inventions and discoveries created at Vineland.

Over recent years, Vineland’s management of the IP portfolio has also embraced a more pragmatic operating stance, incorporating:

-  Flexibility and focus on outcomes and impact.

-  Proper resourcing for managing the portfolio.

-  A consumer- and market-focus to understand industry trends.

-  Early identification of potential IP in projects to support benefits management.

-  If you’re not willing to invest in or defend your IP, don’t start developing it.

-  A need for market-based technology pull for quicker outcomes and impacts.

-  Get “skin in the game” from commercialization collaborators as early as possible.

As Vineland’s innovation journey continues, we must persist in communicating accomplishments and celebrating our positive impact on the sector. Vineland’s Strategic Plan builds on successes while challenging us to strive even higher recognizing:

-  The strength and experience of our employee complement the capabilities of our managed research infrastructure.

-  Our effective engagement with the Canadian horticultural ecosystem, including governments, industry, academia and other research technology organizations, to deliver impact to the economy and society.

-  The continued support of the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada and our commitment to show an impactful return on their investment

Source: Vineland Research & Innovation Centre December 7, 2023 release