News
Canadian universities to receive $14.6 million for new research infrastructure
July 10, 2001
Ottawa, July 10, 2001…Dr. David Strangway, President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), today announced an investment of $14.6 million to support the development of advanced research facilities at 29 Canadian universities. The Honourable John Manley, Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in the announcement which took place at the University of Ottawa.
"Our investment will enable over 150 researchers and new faculty at Canadian universities to compete globally in the knowledge-based economy," said Dr. Strangway. "It will also help enhance our intellectual capital, protect the environment, improve our health, create commercial opportunities, and help to ensure a better quality of life for Canadians."
"The CFI investment is critical because it provides our universities with world-class research infrastructure to attract and retain the best researchers, and to strengthen their research and training environment," added the Honourable John Manley, Minister of Foreign Affairs. "By investing in the activities of organizations such as the CFI, the Government of Canada is fully engaged in making Canada one of the most innovative countries in the world by 2010."
The $14.6 million CFI investment is being awarded through two funds. Under the New Opportunities Fund, the CFI Board of Directors approved an investment of $12.2 million to support 68 infrastructure projects at 23 universities. The projects will enable 92 new researchers at Canadian universities to have access to a wide range of advanced equipment and installations including:
- a genetics and imaging laboratory at Simon Fraser University to study cellular structures involved in the treatment of breast cancer;
- a functional foods and nutraceutical research facility at the University of Calgary to develop nutrition-based strategies for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer;
- a DNA sequencer at the University of Winnipeg to study male infertility;
- specialized equipment at the University of Toronto for the application of ultraviolet light in water disinfection and purification;
- a laboratory at the University of Montreal to study farm contamination by food pathogens, and the management of biological risks associated with meat; and
- X-ray equipment at the University of Prince Edward Island to develop polymer-graphite composites for use in lithium rechargeable batteries.
Under the University Research Development Fund, the CFI is awarding $2.4 million to support 9 infrastructure projects in social sciences and humanities, engineering, and the environment at 7 universities. These awards are aimed at strengthening the research capacity in areas of strategic importance for smaller universities in Canada.
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 Foundation covers 40% of the eligible costs of projects, with the remaining 60% coming from the research institutions and their funding partners from the public, private, and voluntary sectors.
The CFI has been entrusted with a capital investment budget of $3.15 billion.
A list of the projects approved by the CFI to date, and a listing of the approved funding, are available here.
For more information, please contact:
Suzanne Corbeil
Canada Foundation for Innovation
Telephone: (613) 996-4403
Fax: (613) 943-0923
suzanne.corbeil@innovation.ca
Canada Foundation for Innovation /
Fondation canadienne pour l’innovation
New Opportunities Fund / Fonds de relève
| Institution / Établissement | Projects Approved / Projets appuyés |
| Carleton University | 1 |
| Concordia University | 1 |
| Dalhousie University | 1 |
| École Polytechnique de Montréal | 1 |
| Lakehead University | 1 |
| Laurentian University | 1 |
| Malaspina University-College | 1 |
| McGill University | 13 |
| McMaster University | 3 |
| Simon Fraser University | 2 |
| St. Francis Xavier University | 1 |
| University of Alberta | 4 |
| University of Calgary | 4 |
| University of Guelph | 3 |
| University of Ottawa / Université d’Ottawa | 3 |
| University of Prince Edward Island | 2 |
| University of Toronto | 6 |
| University of Waterloo | 5 |
| University of Western Ontario | 4 |
| University of Windsor | 1 |
| University of Winnipeg | 2 |
| Université Laval | 1 |
| Université de Montréal | 7 |
| Total of 23 universities/des universités | 68 |
University Research Development Fund /
Fonds de développement de la recherche universitaire
| Institution / Établissement | Projects Approved / Projets appuyés |
| Athabasca University College | 1 |
| Brandon University | 1 |
| King’s University College | 1 |
| Okanagan University College | 2 |
| St. Francis Xavier University | 1 |
| St. Thomas University | 1 |
| Université du Québec à Hull | 2 |
| Total of 7 universities/des universités | 9 |
List of Approved Projects by Institution /
Liste des projets appuyés par établissement
New Opportunities Fund / Fonds de relève
| Institution / Établissement | Maximum CFI Contribution / Contribution maximale de la FCI | Project Title / Titre du projet |
| Carleton University | $174,548 | Advanced Optical Network Laboratory |
| Concordia University | $69,000 | Forest Genetics Research Laboratory: A Research facility for studies of the ecology, evolution, and genetics of forest trees |
| Dalhousie University | $153,500 | Gait analysis laboratory |
| École Polytechnique de Montréal | $214,830 | Mise en place d’un laboratoire de vision active non invasive en orthopédie |
| Lakehead University | $200,034 | Automatic Control Laboratory: Applications to Robotic Systems |
| Laurentian University | $73,000 | Modelling recovery pathways: a complex systems approach to studying perturbed ecosystems |
| Malaspina University-College | $25,000 | Developing Humanities Computing Infrastructure |
| McGill University | $147,962 | Tissue Engineering of Intervertebral Disc |
| $76,032 | Biotechnology laboratory for the modern characterization of bioremediation processes | |
| $179,382 | Network Architectures, System Design, and Device Technologies for High-Performance Wireless and Lightwave Transmission | |
| $132,329 | Modelling Simulation and Adaptive Computation Lab | |
| $149,995 | Infrastructure for the Study of Dopamine Neuron Function | |
| $117,600 | Expression du virus HIV et marqueurs génétiques de l’hôte dans la progression du SIDA (HIV expression and host genetic markers in AIDS progression) | |
| $79,977 | Hybrid Adaptive Finite Element Analysis Facility for the Electromagnetic Simulation of Microelectronic System Interconnections | |
| $134,392 | Experimental and molecular studies of germ cell development | |
| $150,000 | A Laboratory for Physiological Investigations of Human Communication and Communication Disorders | |
| $150,000 | HIV/HCV drug discovery and development | |
| $149,626 | Infrastructure for biomaterial, biomedical, and microencapsulation technology research laboratory | |
| $150,000 | Innovative Approaches to Early Human Development | |
| $143,411 | E-commerce for Community Economic Development Testbed | |
| McMaster University | $60,000 | Acquisition of Automated Cementitious Material Characterization System for Workability and Durability |
| $304,929 | Mechanical properties and morphology of thin polymer films | |
| $254,043 | Molecular mechanisms of receptor mediated lipid uptake in atherosclerosis | |
| Simon Fraser University | $200,000 | Femtosecond Laser Amplifier System for Solid State Spectroscopy |
| $182,215 | Genetics and Imaging Laboratory for Research on Microtubules and Basal Bodies | |
| St. Francis Xavier University | $52,058 | Applied Computing Laboratory |
| University of Alberta | $133,835 | Centre for Symbolic Computation |
| $202,160 | Development of a Core Facility for Spatial Applications of Social Ecology | |
| $156,000 | Laboratory for perceptual motor behaviour in Down syndrome and other special populations | |
| $225,614 | Materials Science of Food and Agricultural Materials | |
| University of Calgary | $293,260 | Interactive Visualization Laboratory |
| $220,000 | High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Vascular Diagnosis and Intervention | |
| $141,886 | Functional Proteomics Approach for Analyzing Signal Transduction Networks in Multiple Disease Conditions | |
| $99,750 | Creation of a Molecular Screening Facility for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals | |
| University of Guelph | $343,609 | Comprehensive infrastructure for the computer-assisted rational design, chemical synthesis, and biochemical testing of new carbohydrate-based therapeutics |
| $596,447 | Infrastructure for assessing field-scale soil and crop variability and the development of site-specific management practices | |
| $980,908 | Advanced data acquisition and analysis systems for targeted changes in beef cattle breeding | |
| University of Ottawa / Université d’Ottawa | $184,626 | Prostaglandin EP Receptors in the Podocyte-Implications for Kidney Disease. |
| $228,317 | Laboratory for the study of DNA methylation and environmental epigenetics | |
| $199,972 | Nutritional Modification of Gene and Protein Expression in Development of Autoimmune Diabetes | |
| University of Prince Edward Island | $75,383 | Structure Determination of Novel Polymer-Graphite Nanocomposites by Powder X-ray Diffraction |
| $25,208 | A Beowulf Cluster for Large-Scale Simulations in Condensed Matter Physics | |
| University of Toronto | $269,000 | High throughput Proteomics Facility |
| $191,772 | Establishment of a molecular biology laboratory for research into cytoskeletal/plasma membrane interactions using Drodophila as a model organism | |
| $139,730 | Research facility for the application of ultraviolet light in water disinfectant and purification | |
| $86,467 | Quantative Magnetic Resonance Assessment of Neural Tissues | |
| $100,000 | Multi-component facility for studies of plant-pollinator interactions: implications for evolutionary ecology, agriculture, and conservation | |
| $199,514 | Cryogenic Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Epitaxial Thin-Film Fabrication Facilities for the Nanoscale Study of Novel Superconductors and Ferromagnets | |
| University of Waterloo | $35,000 | Infant Cognition Laboratory for the Study of Problem-Solving, Learning, and Physical Reasoning in Humans |
| $84,352 | Multimedia Interaction Design Research Project | |
| $115,517 | Quantative Geophysical Characterization of In Situ Aquifer Conditions | |
| $150,000 | Facility for Characterising Structure and Dynamics of Complex Physical Systems | |
| $191,887 | Facility for Characterising Properties of Innovative Materials for Durable Infrastructure | |
| University of Western Ontario | $105,820 | Integrated Investigation of Human Dynamics and Osteoarthritis |
| $160,000 | X-ray Diffraction and Microdiffraction Facility | |
| $250,000 | Multidisciplinary Approaches to Cognitive Neuroscience | |
| $108,248 | Equipment for Nano/Micro-Scale Mechanical Testing of Multiphase Materials | |
| University of Windsor | $97,686 | An Integrated Field Acquisition and Modelling Facility for the Study of Hydrologic Interactions in Patchy Environments, form Point to Catchment Scales |
| University of Winnipeg | $62,525 | Comparative Genomics of genes controlling sperm differentiation and maturation in Drosophila |
| $50,499 | Clinical Colour Vision Assessment Laboratory | |
| Université Laval | $160,007 | Infrastructure pour l’établissement d’un laboratoire d’études pharmacogénomiques |
| Université de Montréal | $124,857 | The budding yeast as a model system to study RNA localization |
| $585,718 | Development and Application of Advanced Computational Methods in Material Sciences | |
| $188,759 | Gene Therapy Infrastructure for Neuroprotection in the Central Nervous System | |
| $140,532 | Laboratory of biochemistry and cell biology to study cellular senescence and tumor suppressor genes | |
| $408,358 | Infrastructure pour la production et la caractérisation de nouveaux modèles d’étude du développement de la rétine, du système immunitaire et de la régulation de l’expression génique | |
| $193,530 | Identification et contrôle des sources de contamination des fermes par les pathogènes alimentaires et gestion des dangers biologiques associés aux viandes | |
| $181,456 | Vision et attention, rôle de la plasticité neuronale | |
| Total | $12,212,072 |
University Research Development Fund /
Fonds de développement de la recherche universitaire
| Institution / Établissement | Maximum CFI Contribution / Contribution maximale de la FCI | Project Title / Titre du projet |
| Athabasca University College | $210,000 | Creation of a Research Institute for the Study of Supply Chain Collaboration |
| Brandon University | $418,800 | High Field (400MHz) Solid-state/Liquid NMR Facility |
| King’s University College | $250,000 | NMR, GC-MS and Computational Tools to Support Research Programs in Chemistry and Biochemistry |
| Okanagan University College | $129,980 | Population Health Research Centre |
| $506,588 | Water Resources Science and Watershed Management | |
| St. Francis Xavier University | $53,240 | New Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer |
| St. Thomas University | $249,975 | Campus Research Network |
| Université du Québec à Hull | $221,453 | Systèmes photoniques de mesure – infrastructure de caractérisation et de prototypage |
| $340,880 | Système distribué pour l’analyse et la modélisation géospatiale | |
| Total | $2,380,916 |
