$422 Million Investment to Strengthen Canada’s Future Prosperity and Well-being

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OTTAWA, November 27, 2006 — Canada’s capacity to innovate—a key to the country’s future prosperity and well-being—took an important step forward today thanks to a $422 million investment in new state-of-the-art research infrastructure from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Dr. Eliot Phillipson, President and CEO of the CFI, was at the University of Waterloo to announce the inaugural recipients of the CFI’s Leading Edge and New Initiatives funds, a major investment that will support 86 projects at 35 universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions across the country.

“These new investments will substantially increase Canada’s capacity to carry out important world-class scientific research and technology development that will benefit all Canadians,” said Dr. Phillipson. “By investing in leading-edge research we are ensuring that our country prospers as a nation of innovation.”

In Canada, the science and technology landscape is being transformed through the collective investment from all stakeholders. Thanks to the CFI’s investments in research infrastructure, institutions have been able to successfully attract leading researchers from around the world and provide our own talented investigators with the tools they need to compete internationally with the best and the brightest. Today’s investment will allow Canada to continue its remarkable transformation, by investing in projects representing research areas of strategic importance to the country, including health, natural resources, nanotechnologies, and the environment.

“Supporting research is a key investment of our government in the future of our country,” said the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry. “It is through the ideas and talent of researchers—like the ones we are honouring today—that we are ensuring a high quality of life for all Canadians, as well as our success in the global economy.”

The $422,343,180 investment announced today was approved by the CFI’s Board of Directors following a rigorous merit-based expert review.

• $141,449,405 was awarded to 40 projects under the new Leading Edge Fund, designed to enable institutions to build on already successful and productive initiatives supported by past CFI investment.
• $183,429,964 was awarded to 46 projects under the New Initiatives Fund, designed to enhance Canada’s capacity in promising new areas of research and technology development.
• Additionally, $97,463,811 was awarded under the existing Infrastructure Operating Fund, which assists institutions with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with the new infrastructure.

A complete list of these new awards, as well as a list of all projects funded by the CFI to date, are available here.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure. The CFI’s mandate is to strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians.

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