Leading researchers to get $5.1 million boost for research infrastructure

Ottawa, December 21, 2000…Dr. David Strangway, President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), today announced an investment of $5.1 million to provide research infrastructure support to 38 newly appointed Canada Research Chairs recipients at 11 Canadian universities. 

"Our investment will help provide these world-class researchers with the tools they need to pioneer work in many areas that are critical to the socio-economic well-being of Canadians," said Dr. Strangway. "By providing these excellent scientists with first rate research infrastructure, we are enabling them to compete with the best in the world".

The CFI funds will assist in the acquisition of a wide range of specialized installations, including: 

• an installation at the University of Alberta to undertake research aimed at ensuring the ability of communications networks to meet the growing demand for wireless services;
• a research infrastructure at the University of Manitoba to assess the effectiveness of Medicare and whether appropriate treatment is reaching those who need it most;
• a genomic facility at the University of Western Ontario to study cellular interactions that could impact on the control of organ rejection;
• laboratory equipment at Laval University to study the brain's immune system disorders which could be the cause of degenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease; and
• equipment to support the development of a centre of excellence in genome mapping at Dalhousie University.

The funding decision is based on the recommendation of experts who reviewed each project against the following criteria: 

• quality of the candidate and of the proposed research;
• integration to the institution's strategic plan;
• appropriateness of the infrastructure;
• research collaborations; and
• potential benefits of the research to Canada.

The CFI will cover 40% of the eligible costs of each project, with the remaining 60% coming from the universities and their funding partners in the public, private, and voluntary sectors.

In its 2000 Budget, the Government of Canada provided $900 million to support the establishment of 2,000 Canada Research Chairs in universities across the country by 2005. The CFI also received $250 million to provide infrastructure funding to the new Research Chairs.

The objective of the Canada Research Chairs Program is to enable Canadian universities, together with their affiliated research institutes and hospitals, to achieve the highest levels of research excellence, and to become world-class research centres in the global, knowledge-based economy.

The CFI is an independent, not-for-profit corporation established by the Government of Canada in 1997 to address an urgent need of Canada's research community: new, state-of-the-art research infrastructure. The CFI has been entrusted with a capital investment budget of $2.4 billion, and its investments are made in partnership with all levels of government, as well as with the private and voluntary sectors. 

Canada Foundation for Innovation 
Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation

Canada Research Chairs - Infrastructure Component
Chaires de recherche du Canada - composante d'infrastructure 

List of approved projects by institution /
Liste des projets appuyés par établissement

  Canada Research Chairs – Infrastructure Component
Chaires de recherche du Canada – composante d’infrastructure