New investments keep researchers at the forefront of their fields

OTTAWA, ONTARIO — Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, on behalf of the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced close to $5 million to support 22 Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) at 12 universities across the country. This contribution, through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), will help universities compete to recruit and retain exceptional researchers by investing in the innovative research infrastructure they need to advance their work.

Projects being funded through the JELF-CRC include:

• The University of British Columbia in Vancouver: Turning to Indigenous fisheries approaches to find sustainable solutions
  Climate change and other environmental stressors have far-reaching consequences on fisheries. A research team at the Centre for Indigenous Fisheries, along with its Indigenous community partners, are merging Western and Indigenous sciences and tools to address this issue. They will run real-world experiments on culturally significant fish, such as Pacific salmon, and use modelling tools to paint a picture of the current and future state of Indigenous fisheries. They will apply the Mi'kmaw concept of “Two-eyed seeing” to help resolve fisheries-based conflicts on Canada’s East and West coasts, helping to create more sustainable and equitable fisheries in this country and beyond.
• Université du Québec à Rimouski in Rimouski, Quebec: Unlocking the secrets of Canada’s seabed sediment
  It is hard to imagine that we have better maps of the surface of Mars and the moon than we do of our own seabed. But Canada’s seabed sediments deserve careful study. They contain valuable information about natural hazards, climate change and Canada's geological history. Using state-of-the-art techniques in the lab and on numerous domestic and international missions, researchers will examine the seabed and its sediments to help shed more light on the recurrence and impact of major earthquakes, foster a better understanding of what is causing the rapid melting of ice caps and enable the discovery of unexplored marine environments.
• University of New Brunswick in Fredericton: Making e-justice more accessible for all
  Electronic justice administration (e-justice) tools promise efficiency, sustainability and increased access to justice. As national and international attention turns to the promise of e-justice, a team of researchers at UNB will investigate these promises and develop plans for mitigating the challenges the judicial system faces in delivering e-justice, such as data protection, privacy and cybersecurity threats. The team’s work aims to uncover important insights and best practices for policymakers so they can develop inclusive e-justice tools to enhance access to justice for underserved communities.

Quote

“This partnership supports some of Canada’s brightest minds. By funding both the Chairs and their infrastructure, Canadian institutions are better positioned to attract and retain extraordinary talent from around the world who will discover and innovate to benefit Canadians.”

– Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation

Quick facts

• These investments are part of a $960 million suite of funding programs supporting science, researchers, students and research infrastructure announced today by the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, on behalf of the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health.
• The total investment made today by the Government of Canada through the CFI is $4,889,245.
• This total includes $1,128,287 awarded under the CFI’s Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF), a mechanism that assists institutions with the incremental operation and maintenance costs associated with the new infrastructure.
• Funding provided through JELF helps institutions attract and retain outstanding researchers. It also contributes to acquiring the tools that enable the innovative work of those researchers.
• The CFI collaborated with the Canada Research Chairs Program to develop the JELF-CRC partnership to create competitive packages for the funding of infrastructure and research support at institutions.

Associated links

• More about the Canada Foundation for Innovation
• Details on the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund
• More about the Canada Research Chairs Program
• Discover why facilities like those being funded today choose to become part of the CFI’s Research Facilities Navigator, an online database of labs and facilities that are open to working with business

Contact

Media Relations
Canada Foundation for Innovation
media [at] innovation.ca (media[at]innovation[dot]ca)

Cumulative Chart (August 2023)

John R. Evans Leaders Fund

Funding for infrastructure associated with a Canada Research Chair

List of approved projects by institution

NOTE:
As part of this announcement, an additional $1,128,287 was awarded under the Infrastructure Operating Fund, a mechanism that assists institutions with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with the new infrastructure.