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Canada Research Chairs receive more than $7.3 million in research infrastructure support to pursue cutting-edge research

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Thirty-two Canada Research Chairs are receiving more than $7.3 million in support for state-of-the-art research tools from the…

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Thirty-two Canada Research Chairs are receiving more than $7.3 million in support for state-of-the-art research tools from the Government of Canada through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund. The CFI partners with the Chairs Program to help universities attract and retain top researchers in Canada by equipping them with the tools they need to stay on the cutting edge.

The funding supports Chairs at 20 institutions from across the spectrum of disciplines. For example, the University of the Fraser Valley’s Cynthia Jardine will use CFI funding to advance her research related to improving immunization rates among immigrant populations and promoting health and wellness among Indigenous youth. Another recipient, Ahmad Haidar of McGill University, will use CFI-funded infrastructure to develop an artificial pancreas system to help Type 1 diabetes patients manage their blood sugar levels.  

Read: Canada Research Chairs recipient list (May 2017)

“Attracting the best minds to our universities is critical for ensuring Canada continues to be a research leader on the global stage,” says Gilles Patry, President and CEO of the CFI. “The CFI’s partnership with the Chairs Program ensures these world-class researchers have both the state-of-the-art equipment and research support they need to think big and strive for excellence in their fields.”

Quick facts:

  • Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2017, the CFI is contributing $5,641,621 for tools and equipment through the John R. Evans Fund for 32 projects at 20 institutions across Canada.
  • This fund, named to pay tribute to the outstanding contributions of John R. Evans, the first Chair of the CFI’s Board of Directors, enables a select number of researchers to undertake leading-edge research by providing them with the foundational infrastructure required to be or become leaders in their field. In turn, this enables institutions to remain internationally competitive in areas of research and technology development, aligned with their strategic priorities.
  • As part of this announcement, an additional $1,692,486 is being awarded under the Infrastructure Operating Fund, which helps institutions with the operating and maintenance costs associated with the new infrastructure.
  • The CFI partners with the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Secretariat through the JELF to create competitive packages for the funding of infrastructure and research support and to help reduce the burden on both applicants and reviewers.

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Associated links:

John R. Evans Leaders Fund
The CFI Research Facilities Navigator – An online directory of CFI-funded labs that are available to collaborate with the private sector.

Cumulative Totals (PDF)

 

John R. Evans Leaders Fund

Funding for infrastructure associated with a Canada Research Chair

John R. Evans Leaders Fund

Funding for infrastructure associated with a Canada Research Chair

List of approved projects by institution


Chairholder

Project title

Maximum CFI contribution

Brandon University

Plosker, Sarah

Quantum Information Theory

$66,295

Total

1

$66,295

Carleton University

Boulay, Mark Guy

Facility for Noble Liquid Detector Research

$200,000

Total

1

$200,000

Dalhousie University

Hashmi, Javeria

Predictive Role of Brain Networks in Pain Modulation

$125,000

Paulovich, Fernando

Visualization and Visual Analytics Facility

$50,000

Stewart, Sherry

Infrastructure for the Mood, Anxiety, and Addictive Disorders [MAAD] Laboratory

$125,000

Total

3

$300,000

École Polytechnique de Montréal

Boffito, Daria Camilla

Infrastructure for Intensified Mechano-Chemical Processes for Sustainable Biomass Conversion

131 784 $

Total

1

131 784 $

Lakehead University

Chen, Aicheng

Electrochemistry and Nanomaterials Research Laboratory

$230,000

Haiven, Max

The Common Currencies Research Lab

$42,705

Total

2

$272,705

McGill University 

Haidar, Ahmad

Developing and Testing Artificial Pancreas Systems

$100,000

Orthwein, Alexandre

From Genetic Diversity to Genomic Instability: Insight into B-Cell Biology and Malignancies

$132,400

Watson, Ian

Functionalizing the Melanoma Genome

$117,200

Total

3

$349,600

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Khan, Faisal

Dynamic Risk Management Experimental Facility

$100,000

Total

1

$100,000

Simon Fraser University

Holdcroft, Steven

Synthesis and Characterization of New Ion-Conducting Materials and Membranes

$348,560

Kjeang, Erik

Fuel Cell Characterization and Fabrication

$400,000

Menon, Carlo

Transformative Approaches and Novel Biomedical Technology to Assist Motor Function

$397,000

Richards, Michael

Next-Generation Isotope Fingerprinting

$400,000

Total

4

$1,545,560

St. Francis Xavier University

Levman, Jacob

Novel Pattern Recognition Technologies in Medical Imaging Applications

$114,121

Total

1

$114,121

Univesité de Moncton

Hamel, Deny

High-Efficiency Detector System for Optical Quantum Information

171 218 $

Total

1

171 218 $

Université de Montréal

Seidah, Nabil

The Proprotein Convertases and their Relationship to Health and Disease

101 039 $

Veillette, André

Signaling in the Immune System

300 036 $

Total

2

401 075 $

Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Kinnard, Christophe

Multiscale Study of Cryosphere Hydrological Processes Using a Mobile Environmental Observation Platform

150 000 $

Total

1

150 000 $

Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Bergeron, Yves

Chaire de recherche du Canada en écologie et aménagement forestier durable

176 644 $

Neculita, Carmen Mihaela

Treatment of Contaminated Mine Water

176 927 $

Total

2

353 571 $

University of British Columbia (The)

Ford, Adam

Facility for the Restoration of Ecological Processes

$163,000

Pennell, Matthew

Centre for Biodiversity Modeling and Synthesis

$89,817

Total

2

$252,817

University of Lethbridge

Athanasios, Zovoilis

RNA Bioinformatics and Genomics Laboratory

$53,131

Total

1

$53,131

University of New Brunswick

Ni, Yonghao

Cellulose Biomaterial Research Laboratory

$150,000

Total

1

$150,000

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Piro, Markus

Applied Thermodynamics Laboratory

$50,000

Total

1

$50,000

University of Ottawa / Université d’Ottawa

Jabbour, Ghassan

In-Situ Low Cost Fabrication of Self-Assembled Nanomaterials and Conductive Textile for Device Applications

$792,923

Total

1

$792,923

University of the Fraser Valley

Jardine, Cynthia

Health Risk Communication with Vulnerable Communities

$66,856

Total

1

$66,856

University of Waterloo

Eliasmith, Chris

Computational and Robotic Infrastructure for Large-Scale Neural Simulation

$69,965

Hug, Laura

Microbial Diversity and Function in Contaminated Sites

$50,000

Total

2

$119,965

TOTAL

32 projects

$5,641,621

NOTE:
As part of this announcement, an additional $1,692,486 was awarded under the Infrastructure Operating Fund, a mechanism that assists institutions with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with the new infrastructure.