For more than 100 years, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre has played a key role in Canada’s innovation infrastructure.

Vineland is Canada’s leader in horticulture-related innovation, from research and development to commercialization, with a mission to improve the economic viability, sustainability and competitiveness of Canadian horticulture with impactful action.

Vineland’s 218-acre campus is located in the Niagara Region on the shores of Lake Ontario and includes research laboratories, farms and greenhouses. Maintained by the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO), Vineland’s campus is Vineland is situated on treaty lands. These lands are steeped in the rich history of the First Nations including the Hatiwendaronk, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit people from across Turtle Island live and work in Niagara today. Vineland stands with all Indigenous people, past and present, in promoting the wise stewardship of the lands on which we live. As treaty people, residents and caretakers, we are committed to continuous learning and a deep respect for Indigenous people, culture and history.

Vineland is an independent, not-for-profit organization supported financially by the province of Ontario and the government of Canada and other investments from Canadian and international companies and associations.

Vineland has five major research programs: Biological Crop Protection, Consumer, Sensory & Market Insights, Horticultural Technology Solutions, Plant Responses and the Environment and Plant Variety Development. Approximately 100 employees, graduate and co-op students from partner colleges and universities work at Vineland.

What is Vineland’s business model?

Vineland occupies a unique position in Canada’s innovation framework as an independent, not-for-profit organization whose success is highly dependent on a vast array of partners, collaborators, end-users, licensees and others.

Vineland differentiates itself through clear strengths in applied research and contract R&D services that come from our core expertise combined with an industry-facing perspective and drive for impact.

How is Vineland funded?

Vineland operates with an annual budget of $11.8 million (April 1, 2022-March 31, 2023) including investment from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the horticulture industry, competitive granting, service contracts and commercialization royalties.

How does Vineland decide which research projects to undertake?

Vineland’s innovation strategy is the framework used to develop research projects with potential for the greatest impact across the Canadian horticulture sector. Vineland’s research strategy defines three core processes: research priority setting with key stakeholders, opportunity analysis and project management. 

How many people work at Vineland?

There are almost 100 employees working at Vineland and on average 10 co-op and graduate students from partner colleges and universities.

How large is Vineland’s campus?

The Vineland campus consists of four sites within a 10-kilometre radius in the Niagara region.

  • The main campus includes 32 buildings on 72 acres of which 38 acres are farmland
  • The 94-acre Victoria Avenue Research Farm
  • The 32-acre Cherry Avenue Farm
  • A shared ownership 10-acre nature area

Which Vineland products are available in the marketplace?

Products launched by Vineland and its collaborators include:

  • Happi Pear™
  • Three commercialized varieties of tomatoes-on-the-vine
  • Cold Snap™ pear
  • Jupiter™ grape
  • Vineland’s 49th Parallel Collection of hardy roses consisting of Canadian Shield®, Chinook Sunrise®, Aurora Borealis™ (2021 release) and Yukon Sun™ (2023 release)
  • Radiance, a sweet potato variety adapted to Canadian growing conditions
  • RootSmart™, a wall-less, bottomless propagation system proven to help promote healthy root development during the first stages of growth
  • Commercialized technologies: patented Appassimento grape-drying systems and automated mini-cuke packer 
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