Government of Canada invests in top research labs

SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN — Canada is home to several high-performing, internationally renowned research facilities. The researchers working in these labs are tackling areas of discovery and applied research that are helping to power our economic and scientific productivity, which ultimately benefits all Canadians.

That’s why the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, today announced an additional $160 million through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) Major Science Initiatives Fund. This funding stems from a Budget 2018 commitment that included an historic $4 billion investment in the people and places powering science and research in Canada.

Today’s announcement includes close to $40 million to support cutting-edge collaborative international research at seven Canadian facilities that are national in scope:

• The Canadian Light Source is a national research facility of the University of Saskatchewan and the only synchrotron in Canada, producing the brightest light in the country to conduct innovative health, agriculture, environment, and advanced materials research.
• VIDO-InterVac (Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre) is a global leader in infectious disease research and vaccine development, combating dangerous pathogens in both animals and humans.
• Ocean Networks Canada delivers open data from all three Canadian coasts in real-time via the Internet to assess the state of the ocean and better understand the dynamics from beneath the seafloor up to the atmosphere. Its headquarters are at the University of Victoria.
• SNOLAB is an underground science laboratory specializing in neutrino and dark matter physics. Located two kilometres underground in a mine near Sudbury, Ontario, the facility allows scientists to study the make-up of the universe.
• The research icebreaker, CCGS Amundsen, gives Canadian researchers and their collaborators unprecedented access to the Arctic Ocean. It is based out of the Université Laval in Quebec City.
• Ocean Tracking Network is a global monitoring network that focuses on sustainable oceans management and aquatic species, headquartered at Dalhousie University.
• Canada’s National Design Network provides researchers with access to products and services for designing, prototyping and testing their ideas.

Quotes

“These leading research facilities help position Canada as a top destination for world-class research and allow our researchers to make fantastic discoveries, strengthen Canada’s social fabric and international competitiveness, and help train the next generation of our highly skilled workforce.”

– The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport

“Canada’s support for Major Science Initiatives ensures excellence in leading-edge research and places us on the world stage as we contribute to solutions for national and global issues.”

– Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and CEO

“This significant increase in federal funding for the largest of Canada’s scientific facilities is crucial to Canada’s success as a global leader in innovation and discovery. With two of the seven facilities, the University of Saskatchewan is well supported in its ambitions to be the university the world needs through cutting-edge research that improves human and animal health, agriculture, and the environment.” 

– Peter Stoicheff, President of the University of Saskatchewan

Quick Facts

• Budget 2018 set aside $763 million over five years for the CFI, and ongoing funding of up to $462 million per year starting in 2023-24. This permanent funding will put cutting-edge infrastructure in the hands of our researchers and students to ensure they can make discoveries and innovate.
• The $160 million aligns closely with recommendation 6.10 of Canada’s Fundamental Science Review.
• The seven facilities are receiving close to $40 million ending March 31, 2020.

Quick links

Canada Foundation for Innovation

Major Science Initiatives Fund

Related products

• Government of Canada investing in Canadian researchers to make world-class discoveries – March 13, 2019

A full list of the funded projects and stories about the facilities are available online at Innovation.ca. For updates, follow us on Twitter @InnovationCA and subscribe to our YouTube channel for videos about the CFI and its many transformative research projects.

About the Canada Foundation for Innovation

For more than 20 years, the CFI has been giving researchers the tools they need to think big and innovate. And a robust innovation system translates into jobs and new enterprises, better health, cleaner environments and, ultimately, vibrant communities. By investing in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in Canada’s universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions, the CFI also helps 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.

Contacts