WGRF is pleased to announce a $1.5 million-dollar investment in Graduate Scholarships at the University of Manitoba, the University of Alberta, and the University of Saskatchewan. The scholarships are available to students pursuing their Masters or PhD in any of WGRF’s priority research areas. WGRF funds a broad range of research in variety development and crop production in 15 different western Canadian field crops.

WGRF established graduate student scholarships at the three prairie universities in 2011. The Scholarships have previously been administered on a rotating basis between each university receiving $100,000 every three years.

“Over the next five years WGRF will be investing $300,000 per year in Graduate Scholarships,” says Terry Young, WGRF Board Chair. “WGRF has made it a priority to increase research capacity in Western Canada, this increase in funding towards graduate scholarships will help support the training of highly qualified professionals that can move into research or other positions impacting western Canadian crop production.”

“As senior researchers in government and postsecondary institutions near retirement, the need to recruit the best and brightest students into agricultural research is important,” says Garth Patterson, WGRF Executive Director. “We look forward to a continuation of the long-standing relationship between WGRF and these three prairie universities to advance agricultural research for the benefit of Western Canadian farmers,”

“WGRF’s increase in scholarship’s speaks to their commitment to invest in agriculture through supporting our future scientists and leaders,” Mary M Buhr, PhD, Pag, Dean and Professor University of Saskatchewan. “We are deeply grateful to WGRF for all their support in the past, and especially for this very significant investment in our graduate programs.”

“This investment by western Canadian farmers will build a stronger future for agriculture by unleashing the curiosity and creativity of our graduate students during their studies and throughout their careers,” Stanford F. Blade, PhD, P.Ag., Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Alberta. “We are grateful to the Western Grains Research Foundation for their renewed commitment to supporting graduate research in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences.”

“At the University of Manitoba, we believe that graduate students are tomorrow’s innovation leaders,” Martin Scanlon, Dean, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. “We are grateful for initiatives such as the Western Grains Research Foundation Graduate Scholarship program, which supports new researchers in their studies on cropping systems and sets them on a path to success in Western Canada and beyond.”