Article

Canada Research Chairs receive a more than $4 million boost for infrastructure

Equipped with the right tools, researchers poised to make discoveries and innovate

VICTORIA, B.C. — Canada’s researchers strive to find solutions to the global challenges we face today. To support them in this pursuit, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is providing more than $4 million to 30 Canada Research Chairs at 18 Canadian universities for the cutting-edge tools they need to put their brightest ideas to work.

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, announced the CFI funding today at University of Victoria.

One of the awardees, Véronique Giroux, a new chairholder, of the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec, will receive more than $190,000 for infrastructure that will allow her to investigate stem cells of the digestive tract and their role in cancer treatment resistance.

Another new chairholder, Corey Baron of Western University, will receive $200,000 for a camera that will improve magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by reducing scan times and improving image quality. This could lead to better diagnoses and understanding of brain conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. 

Others will benefit from funding for research such as improving manufacturing processes with precision machinery to developing geospatial software that records how people, places and processes around the world are interconnected.

The overall funding of $4,057,751 is being made through the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund, in partnership with the Canada Research Chairs Program. The John R. Evans Leaders Fund allows universities to attract top talent in diverse fields of research by providing them with the state-of-the art infrastructure required to think big and innovate. An additional $1,217,325 is being awarded under the CFI’s Infrastructure Operating Fund, which helps institutions with operating and maintenance costs associated with the new infrastructure.

“Canada has built a strong research enterprise that supports talented researchers in all disciplines,” says Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and CEO of the CFI. “By working together and using state-of-the-art equipment and labs, researchers are well-positioned to advance knowledge and address some of the world’s most pressing concerns.”

 

 

CUMULATIVE TOTALS

John R. Evans Leaders Fund 
Funding for infrastructure associated with a Canada Research Chair 

 

 

 

 
Institution Projects approved 
Dalhousie University 1
HEC Montréal 1
McGill University 4
Memorial University of Newfoundland 2
Université de Montréal 1
Université de Sherbrooke 1
Université du Québec à Montréal 1
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières 1
Université Laval 1
University of Alberta 1
University of British Columbia (The) 6
University of Guelph 2
University of Lethbridge 1
University of New Brunswick 2
University of Ontario Institute of Technology 2
University of Toronto 1
University of Waterloo 1
University of Western Ontario (The) 1
Total  18  institutions / établissements 30
Chairholder Project title  Maximum CFI contribution
Dalhousie University    
Kurylyk, Barret Impacts of Environmental Change on Coastal Water Resources $110,000
Total 1 $110,000
HEC Montréal    
Cameron, Ann-Frances Digital Meetings Lab 203 221 $
Total 1 203 221 $
McGill University     
Guarné, Alba Macromolecular Machines in DNA Damage and Repair 140 000 $
Hernandez, Ryan Uncovering the Genetic Architecture of Complex Disease with Large-Scale Computing 120 000 $
Kazak, Lawrence Physiology and Mechanisms of Adipocyte Creatine Energetics 320 000 $
McKinney, Melissa Ecological Change and Environmental Stressors 173 000 $
Total 4 753 000 $
Memorial University of Newfoundland     
Leitges, Michael Laboratory in Support of the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Cell Signaling and Translational Medicine $50,000
Reader, Heather Laboratory for Oceanic Analytical Chemistry $89,262
Total 2 $139,262
Université de Montréal    
Carabin, Hélène Epidemiology and Control of Parasitic Zoonoses in a Global Health Context 124 435 $
Total 1 124 435 $
Université de Sherbrooke    
Giroux, Véronique Imaging of Stem Cells in the Digestive Tract 192 502 $
Total 1 192 502 $
Université du Québec à Montréal    
Thériault, Julie Simulations of Winter Storms and Associated Precipitation 91 353 $
Total 1 91 353 $
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières    
Desgagné-Penix, Isabel Research Platform on the Specialized Metabolism of Plant Alkaloids 148 607 $
Total 1 148 607 $
Université Laval    
LaFlamme, Crystal Tracing Sulfur Pathways through the Lithosphere by LA-QQQ-ICPMS of Sulfides 280 000 $
Total 1 280 000 $
University of Alberta    
Macauley, Matthew Controlling Immune Responses through the Siglecs $280,000
Total 1 $280,000
University of British Columbia (The)    
Auger-Methe, Marie Statistical Ecology as a Tool to Conserve Aquatic Species $125,000
Bergmann, Luke Infrastructure for the UBC Geographical Computation Lab $124,322
Jin, Xiaoliang A Laser Assisted Precision Machining System $120,211
Turvey, Stuart Pediatric Precision Health Initiative $100,000
Wood, Evan Establishing a World Class Addiction Research Centre $99,585
Zimmerman, Naomi High Time-Resolution Mobile Laboratory for Quantification of Emergent Air Pollutants $123,463
Total 6 $692,581
University of Guelph    
Allen-Vercoe, Emma Infrastructure for Targeted Isolation of Microbes from the Human Gut Microbiota $124,943
Baes, Christine Understanding the Genomic Architecture of Livestock Using Precision Data $125,000
Total 2 $249,943
University of Lethbridge    
Barrett, Louise Understanding Behavioural Plasticity in Human and Non-Human Primates $31,000
Total 1 $31,000
University of New Brunswick    
De Baerdemacker, Stijn Novel Electronic Structure Methods for Quantum Chemistry $67,047
Whitford, Veronica A Behavioural and Neuroimaging Investigation of Monolingual and Bilingual Reading Across the Lifespan $125,372
Total 2 $192,419
University of Ontario Institute of Technology    
Dubrowski, Adam 3D Network for Immersive Simulation in Healthcare (3DNISH) $75,000
Simmons, Denina Bioinformatics Computing Work Station Suite $49,428
Total 2 $124,428
University of Toronto    
Lee, Hyun Infrastructure to Elucidate the Roles and Regulation of Membraneless Organelles in Health and Disease $200,000
Total 1 $200,000
University of Waterloo    
Risko, Evan Immersive and Psychophysiological Testing Suite $45,000
Total 1 $45,000
University of Western Ontario (The)    
Baron, Corey Model-Based Acquisitions for Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging $200,000
Total 1 $200,000
TOTAL 30 projects  $4,057,751

NOTE:

As part of this announcement, an additional $1,217,325 was awarded under the Infrastructure Operating Fund, a mechanism that assists institutions with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with the new infrastructure.