Key investments to help research meet the needs of all Canadians
OTTAWA, ONT. — Every day, researchers at universities around the country dedicate their work to addressing issues that affect Canadians. From improving the quality of life of people with dementia to understanding how the effects of climate change impact clean water, Canadian research continues to produce results that benefit people. This is why it is vital to support researchers with the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment they need to continue to make advances.
Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced more than $6 million to support 29 Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) at 22 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 cutting-edge research infrastructure they need. This funding is part of a large investment made by the Government of Canada of more than $1 billion in funding to support scientists, researchers and students that Minister Champagne announced today at the Canadian Science Policy Conference.
Projects being funded through the JELF-CRC will contribute to:
- Making Canada’s marine coasts a safer living environment
Oil spills off Canada’s coastlines are difficult to clean up, and have long-term, negative effects on marine life and the 6.5 million Canadians who live along them. Baiyu Zhang from Memorial University of Newfoundland will use new infrastructure to enhance the Coastal Environmental Research Laboratory’s work on oil spill cleanup. This project will establish Canada as a leader in coastal and oil pollution research and will help provide Canadians who live near marine coasts with a cleaner living environment. - Improving health outcomes for people with gynecological cancer
Gynecological cancer affects 12,000 Canadians each year, and the number of new cases is expected to rise by more than 30 percent over the next 15 years. Past treatment focused on the site of the tumour and less on the tumour itself. As a result, many people are over- or under-treated. Jessica McAlpine at The University of British Columbia will use new infrastructure to better understand the biology of tumours and speed up the discovery of new therapies for rare and difficult-to-treat gynecological cancers. Her work also aims to enhance the ability to predict the risk of recurrence, decide on treatments and improve the health outcomes for all Canadians facing these types of cancer. - Understanding soot to strive for cleaner air
Soot particles released by combustion engines, such as from transportation trucks and power generators, pollute the air and contribute to global warming. Researchers do not yet fully understand how these particles form, which hinders the ability to develop devices that emit fewer emissions. With new infrastructure, Seth Dworkin from Toronto Metropolitan University will design models to illustrate how soot particles form and are emitted and will use machine learning to estimate the particle properties and concentrations in the air. This work aims to contribute to the design of vehicles that produce fewer emissions to ultimately help reduce harmful pollutants in our atmosphere.
Quote
“The Canada Foundation for Innovation’s support for the CRC program is vital to the attraction and retention of extraordinary researchers. By providing the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, the CFI builds the foundation of success for the future of science in Canada.”
– Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation
Quick facts
- The total JELF investment made today by the Government of Canada through the Canada Foundation for Innovation is $6,099,522.
- This total includes $1,407,582 awarded under the 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.
Associated links
- More about the Canada Foundation for Innovation
- Details on the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund
- Discover why facilities like those being funded today choose to get listed in the CFI’s Research Facilities Navigator: An online database of labs and facilities that are open to working with business
Social media
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About the Canada Foundation for Innovation
Since 1997, the Canada Foundation for Innovation has made financial contributions to Canada’s universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research organizations to increase their capability to carry out high-quality research. The CFI invests in infrastructure that researchers need to think big, innovate and push the boundaries of knowledge. It helps institutions to attract and retain the world’s top talent, to train the next generation of researchers and to support world-class research that strengthens the economy and improves the quality of life for all Canadians.
John R. Evans Leaders Fund / Fonds des leaders John-R.-Evans
Funding for infrastructure associated with a Canada Research Chair /
Financement de l’infrastructure liée à une Chaire de recherche du Canada
Institution | Projects approved |
|---|---|
| Algoma University | 1 |
| Athabasca University | 1 |
| Brock University | 1 |
| Dalhousie University | 1 |
| McMaster University | 1 |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | 1 |
| Mount Allison University | 1 |
| Nipissing University | 1 |
| Ryerson University | 2 |
| Thompson Rivers University | 1 |
| Trent University | 1 |
| Université de Montréal | 1 |
| Université de Sherbrooke | 2 |
| Université du Québec à Montréal | 1 |
| Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue | 2 |
| University of British Columbia (The) | 3 |
| University of Guelph | 1 |
| University of Regina | 1 |
| University of Toronto | 1 |
| University of Victoria | 2 |
| University of Waterloo | 2 |
| University of Western Ontario (The) | 1 |
| Total 22 institutions | 29 |
List of approved projects by institution
Chairholder | Project title | Maximum CFI contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Algoma University | ||
| Murugan, Nirosha | Bioelectric and Optical Control of Cell Fate and Tissue Plasticity | $74,984 |
Total | 1 | $74,984 |
| Athabasca University | ||
| Vallee, Mickey | The Solitude Infrastructure | $30,675 |
Total | 1 | $30,675 |
| Brock University | ||
| Li, Yifeng | Machine Learning for Biomedical Data Science | $139,302 |
Total | 1 | $139,302 |
| McMaster University | ||
| Schertzer, Jonathan | Infrastructure for Endocrine Control of Immunometabolism | $300,000 |
Total | 1 | $300,000 |
| Memorial University of Newfoundland | ||
| Zhang, Baiyu | Coastal Environmental Research Laboratory (CERL) | $82,201 |
Total | 1 | $82,201 |
| Mount Allison University | ||
| Beck, Lauren | Centre for Early Modern Visual Culture, Phase II | $75,000 |
Total | 1 | $75,000 |
| Nipissing University | ||
| McCarter, Colin | The Provision of Clean Water in Boreal Canada Under Threat from Compounding Landscape Disturbance | $137,990 |
Total | 1 | $137,990 |
| Ryerson University | ||
| Dworkin, Seth | Chair in High Performance Computing for Sustainable Energy | $76,000 |
| Hwang, Dae Kun | CRC in Microarchitecture for Advanced Polymeric Materials | $76,000 |
Total | 2 | $152,000 |
| Thompson Rivers University | ||
| Bacsu, Juanita-Dawne | Improving the Health Equity and Quality of Life of Rural Older Adults with Dementia | $68,251 |
Total | 1 | $68,251 |
| Trent University | ||
| Tanentzap, Andrew | Environmental Microbiology Culturing and Sequencing Facility | $173,914 |
Total | 1 | $173,914 |
| Université de Montréal | ||
| Perreault Levasseur, Laurence | Entering a New, Data-driven Era for Precision Cosmology with Machine Learning-based Analysis Methods | $117,491 |
Total | 1 | $117,491 |
| Université de Sherbrooke | ||
| Fernandes, Karl | Multimodal Phenotyping for Improved Disease Modeling and Therapeutic Development | $319,252 |
| Labrie, Marilyne | Development of Personalized Therapies for Ovarian Cancer Patients | $173,569 |
Total | 2 | $492,821 |
| Université du Québec à Montréal | ||
| Morisset, Lucie | Laboratoire d’analyse et de médiation spatialisées du patrimoine urbain | $199,198 |
Total | 1 | $199,198 |
| Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue | ||
| Gennaretti, Fabio | Canada Research Chair in Dendroecology and Dendroclimatology | $68,250 |
| Neculita, Carmen Mihaela | Treatment and Management of Mine Water | $122,890 |
Total | 2 | $191,140 |
| University of British Columbia (The) | ||
| McAlpine, Jessica | Precision Oncology for Gynecologic Cancers | $325,000 |
| Rosin, Jessica | Visualizing Immune Cell Activities using Live-cell Imaging and Confocal Microscopy | $140,000 |
| Yong, Paul | Endometriosis Integrated Pain Laboratory | $75,001 |
Total | 3 | $540,001 |
| University of Guelph | ||
| Brown, Susan | Collaborative Scholarship Equipment Refresh | $15,427 |
Total | 1 | $15,427 |
| University of Regina | ||
| Zilles, Sandra | Laboratory for Computational Learning Theory | $77,45% |
Total | 1 | $77,45% |
| University of Toronto | ||
| Julien, Jean-Philippe | Molecular Biology Systems for the Study of Antibody-Antigen Complexes | $796,638 |
Total | 1 | $796,638 |
| University of Victoria | ||
| Black, Marianne | Assistive Technology for Osteoarthritis Management | $125,000 |
| Goncheva, Mariya | Investigating Molecular Events Contributing to Viral-bacterial Co-infection | $175,000 |
Total | 2 | $300,000 |
| University of Waterloo | ||
| Basu, Nandita | Measuring and Modelling Fine-scale Phosphorus Dynamics in Agricultural Watersheds | $106,809 |
| Ren, Carolyn | Droplet Microfluidics and Microfluidics Enabled Soft Robotic Wearables | $100,000 |
Total | 2 | $206,809 |
| University of Western Ontario (The) | ||
| Katapally, Tarun Reddy | Digital Health Observatory to Address Existing and Emerging Health Crises | $270,720 |
Total | 1 | $270,720 |
TOTAL | 29 projects | $4,691,940 |
NOTE:
As part of this announcement, an additional $1,407,582 was awarded under the Infrastructure Operating Fund, a mechanism that assists institutions with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with the new infrastructure.