b'AAFCS ROLE IS EVOLVING.HERES WHYAgriculture and Agri-Food Canadas scientific capacity today is not less than it was prior to 2000, Franois Eudes says. Whats really changed is the speed of technology. Marc ZienkiewiczFRANOIS EUDES WEARS two hats, and both are important in guiding the direction that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) is heading in terms of its plant science and breeding research.First hat: Eudes serves as director research, development and technology of the Science and Technology Branch at AAFC (a role hes held since 2015) for sites located in Alberta. He oversees a large group of staff in two research and development centres (Lethbridge and Lacombe) and two satellite research farms (Beaverlodge and Vauxhall), and manages the resources associated with their science programs. Second hat: hes the national AAFC science lead for the breeding innovation and crop germplasm development portfolio, which captures AAFCs science capacity related to breeding.With a background in plant biology and breeding inno-vation, Eudes has been a pivotal figure in driving AAFCs scientific agenda since joining the management team nearly a decade ago. Its an agenda undergoing major changes, not the least of which is AAFCs foray into biotechnology, and the resulting effect that vision has had on AAFC itself.AAFC is heavily invested in cutting-edge fields such as genomics, proteomics and crop genetics. These scientific disciplines are crucial for advancing breeding techniques and improving crop yields, he says. Our vision is significantly impacted by how science is conducted and how organizations like AAFC deliver and Franois Eudes says a big goal of Agriculture and fund research. Over the decades, our focus has shifted Agri-Food Canada is to help not just AAFC scientists toto include emerging fields such as nanotechnology and succeed, but also those in academia and the quantum physics, which were unimaginable in agricultural private sector. contexts 40 years ago.12 SEEDWORLD.COM/CANADA JULY 2024'