Canadian Researchers Receive More Than $51m in Funding From the Government of Canada

FREDERICTON, NB--(Marketwired - February 28, 2017) - The Government of Canada understands the value of investing in the nation's scientists and researchers whose discoveries help improve our economy and environment, our health and communities. That's why the government is providing more than $51 million in funding so that scholars across the country can acquire the cutting-edge tools needed to conduct world-class research.

At the University of New Brunswick this morning, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, announced $51,968,051 for 223 projects at 39 universities across the country. The funding is provided through the Canada Foundation for Innovation's John R. Evans Leaders Fund, which helps universities attract and retain some of the world's best researchers by equipping them with the tools they need to stay on the cutting edge.

The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is receiving $150,000 for a state-of-the-art microscope platform to observe, in 3D and in real time, how cells in zebrafish embryos grow, change shape and move through tissue. This funding will allow researchers, including Bryan Crawford, a cell researcher at UNB, to better understand how abnormalities in cell growth are linked to diseases such as arthritis, heart disease and cancer. The infrastructure will be unique in Atlantic Canada and will position UNB as a centre of excellence in cell biology and confocal microscopy.

From health to engineering, telecommunications and environmental protection, the Government of Canada, through the Canada Foundation for Innovation, continues to provide researchers with the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment that are essential for conducting world-leading research that directly benefits all Canadians and helps grow the middle class.

Quotes:

"Investments in Canada's research infrastructure, like those we are celebrating today, are incredibly important to our nation's future. They help us to attract and retain the very best scientists and give Canadian researchers the tools they need to perform excellent cutting-edge research, train the scientists of tomorrow and enable innovative new discoveries that improve our environment, economy and communities."

- The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science

"The Canada Foundation for Innovation's John R. Evans Leaders Fund is integral to supporting Canada's research efforts. This fund helps ensure our best researchers have access to the state-of-the-art facilities they need to advance their important work. From preventing vision loss to developing renewable sources of energy, these recipients are working to the benefit of all Canadians."

- Gilles Patry, President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation

"The University of New Brunswick is a regional and national leader in research and innovation. The John R. Evans Leaders Fund significantly enhances our research capacity and will also enrich the UNB student experience."

- Eddy Campbell, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of New Brunswick

"Thanks to the CFI, my colleagues and I will now have access to a state-of-the-art confocal microscope, which is vital [to] our research. This allows us to view living samples, in three-dimensions, and see specific molecules and activities present in tissue during development. This helps to shed light on issues around ageing processes and how diseases grow and move throughout our bodies."

- Bryan Crawford, Associate Professor of Biology, University of New Brunswick

Quick facts:

• Bryan Crawford, Associate Professor of Biology at the University of New Brunswick, focuses his research on the remodelling of living tissues during development and its mis-regulation in diseases such as arthritis, heart disease and cancer.
• The John R. Evans Leaders Fund helps a select number of exceptional researchers at institutions across the country to conduct leading-edge research by giving them the tools and equipment they need to be or become leaders in their field.
• The fund is an important tool designed to help Canada attract and retain the very best of today's and tomorrow's researchers.
• As part of this announcement, an additional $11,992,627 was awarded under the CFI's Infrastructure Operating Fund to help institutions with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with the acquisition of new infrastructure.
• In 2016, the Government of Canada and the governments of the four Atlantic provinces unveiled the Atlantic Growth Strategy, which aims to stimulate economic growth in the region by focusing joint federal-provincial efforts and resources on five areas of action: skilled workforce and immigration, innovation, clean growth and climate change, trade and investment, and infrastructure.

Quick links:
John R. Evans Leaders Fund
The CFI Research Facilities Navigator

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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 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.