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Top researchers receive $2 million for cutting-edge research infrastructure in universities across Canada

Three Canada Excellence Research Chairs funded through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund
Institution(s)
Concordia University
McGill University
The University of British Columbia

OTTAWA, ONTARIO — World-leading scientists need access to the right tools to help solve some of the most pressing research challenges facing society. The Canada Foundation for Innovation ensures some of those top minds have the state-of-the-art labs and equipment they need to tackle meaningful research programs funded through the Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) program.  

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, announced today that the Government of Canada will invest $80 million for 8 world-renowned researchers under the latest round of the Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC). Researchers will establish a research project for a period of seven years so they can keep making the world-class discoveries that establish Canada as a centre for cutting-edge research and innovation. 

Three of these researchers will receive a total of $2 million for research equipment through the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund, which helps universities attract and retain top research talent from around the world:   

  • Ursula Eicker coming from the University of Applied Sciences Stuttgart in Germany will receive $425,000 to develop smart and sustainable solutions for cities in a zero carbon future by building an energy management, modeling and visualization platform at Concordia University.
  • As the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Genomic Medicine, Vincent Mooser from Switzerland’s Lausanne University will use $798,952 to fund infrastructure that will help him investigate the underlying causes of genetic disease, identify novel drug targets and develop genetically-focused clinical trials at McGill University.
  • Orlando Rojas will join the University of British Columbia from Aalto University in Finland. He is receiving $800,000 from the CFI for equipment to engineer new biomaterials to replace plastics, develop more sustainable alternatives to cotton, produce lightweight materials for automotive, aerospace and other applications, evaluate options for bio-based electronics and identify ways to commercialize these technologies.

“From high-tech laboratories to space for community engagement, the Canada Foundation for Innovation provides these world-leading researchers with a solid foundation on which to continue building their remarkable careers, and to make discoveries that will benefit society,” said Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and CEO for the Canada Foundation for Innovation.