New University of Guelph president calls horticulture the “vanguard” of innovation

Horticulture will be central to an increased emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Guelph, says the institution’s new president.

Dr. Rene Van Acker, named the university’s 10th president in July 2025, says efforts are underway to build more opportunities and support for entrepreneurship, including through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance. 

The alliance is a government-university collaboration for research and education that brings together the University of Guelph, Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. The alliance provides a portion of the funding for the University of Guelph to manage a network of 15 publicly owned agricultural research stations, sites and investments across the province. 

Van Acker sees horticulture as the “vanguard’ of the alliance’s entrepreneurial emphasis. Ontario produces more than 200 commodities, many of which are marketed as raw products or exported and processed abroad. Horticulture, which sports a wide, diverse group of commodities, has long been identified as a sector with significant value-added potential.