Genomic selection for strawberry (F. ×ananassa)

Genomic selection is used to select breeding material for further hybridization and/or for entering advanced cultivar trials based on their genomic breeding values rather than on phenotypic values. This approach shows better performance than traditional methods such as phenotype-based selection, pedigree-based selection, and marker assisted selection, particularly for polygenically inherited traits.

The objective of this Open Call
The objective of the BreedingValue Open Call #2 is to employ state-of-the-art methodology on breeders’ material and implement genomic selection to the breeders. This can help the breeders to do selection in early stages of their breeding program, accelerating the generation cycles by identifying superior parents, and increasing likelihood of identifying good candidates for advanced trialing.

In the Open Call#2, we will fund 2 projects à 20,000 €.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for applied strawberry breeders with phenotype data available (or with ability to obtain such within the call’s time frame) for a high number of cultivars and/or breeding lines of strawberry (F. ×ananassa). The breeder must also be able to provide extracted DNA and have an interest to develop and apply genomic selection on own breeding material.

For a complete description of the specific requirements, you should fulfill for this Open Call please consult the Guide for Applicants.

Your benefits
If you are selected for this Open Call you will

• Learn the methodology for genomic selection through direct support and seminars
• Get prediction models that are developed on, and amenable to, your own breeding material

Eligibility criteria
You are qualified to apply for this Open Call if you fulfill the following criteria:

• You are an SME according to the definition of the European Commission (less than 250 employees, less than €50m annual turnover)
• You have to be legally registered in member states of the European Union or in Horizon 2020 associated countries
• The application has to be submitted before the deadline of the Open Call.
• The application has to be in the English language
• The application has to be complete (including all required signatures)
• The application has to address one of the fours topics of the Open Calls within BreedingValue
• Absence of conflict of interest: You may not have an actual and/or potential conflict of interest during the application process and project implementation (see Declaration of Honour). Accordingly, members currently involved in the BreedingValue project as beneficiaries, subcontracts, linked (third) parties and advisors are not eligible to apply. Should any conflict of interest arise, this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Funding scheme
The Open Calls in BreedingValue apply a lump sum funding scheme. Payments will be made after the successful submission of reports.

• Milestone 1: Completion of contracts and introductions to researchers. Initial traits of interest and phenotypic data collection are recorded (December 2021).
• Milestone 2: Suitable leaf samples (and if possible/agreed upon pedigree information) have been collected (July 2022).

The first payment will be made after an interim report (confirming the milestone achievements) has been submitted and approved (July 2022, 50% of total funding).

• Milestone 3: Suitable phenotypic data has been received for the selected material (November 2022).
• Milestone 4: Supply of supplementary phenotypic data from the second year (July 2023).
• Milestone 5: Completion of training (Fall 2024)

The final payment will be made after a final report has been submitted and approved (Fall 2024, 50% of total funding).

Please note that in case ethical issues were identified in the application phase, additional deliverables for monitoring of these issues will be added as contractual requirements during the Sub-Grant-Agreement negotiation.

Application, evaluation and project preparation timeline:

Open Call#2 Project Implementation Timeline

The Open Call project will run for 4 years, from 2021 to 2024. The detailed timeline is described below.

How to apply
Applications can only be made via e-mail and have to be submitted under the following address: opencalls@breedingvalue.eu

Please observe the instructions for formatting and submissions in the Guide of Applicants.

Deadline
The deadline for submissions is 30th June 2021 at 17:00 CET. Applications after the deadline will not be considered for evaluation.

Documents for application
All relevant documents for the application can be found here.

Contact Info
info@breedingvalue.eu