Investments in research infrastructure will support top Canadian talent

SHERBROOKE, Quebec, Sept. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Government of Canada announced nearly $86 million through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to support 316 research infrastructure projects at 47 institutions across the country.

This contribution, made through the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), will help institutions in Canada attract and retain the very best of today’s researchers.

The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of National Revenue, made the announcement at the Université de Sherbrooke, on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health.

Projects being funded through the JELF include:

• Predicting sea level rise: As the world's glaciers and icesheets rapidly change, predicting sea-level rise becomes more challenging, especially since our knowledge of how ice interacts with the ocean is limited. This is partly because calving events, where large chunks of ice collapse into the water, make the ocean-ice environment dangerous to study. Researchers at the University of Manitoba are looking to change that with a CFI-funded autonomous ocean surface vehicle that can take measurements including ocean and atmospheric temperature, as well as ice thickness and structure. The first measurements will be of a glacier on southern Ellesmere Island in northern Nunavut and will be taken in collaboration with the nearby Inuit community of Aujuittuq (Grise Fiord).
  
• Streamlining cheese production: The dairy industry is a major socioeconomic pillar for the Canadian food sector, with more than 200,000 people employed and more than $18 billion a year in sales. To keep the industry globally competitive, a project at Université Laval in the city of Québec is looking to optimize production of mozzarella and similar cheeses. CFI funding will provide the Centre de recherche en science et technologie du lait (STELA) with extruder equipment to pilot more streamlined manufacturing. The project will also support the specialized training of 25 students. Each year, Canada produces more than 155,000 tonnes of mozzarella.
  
• Examining gene mutation’s role in mental illness: Genes that control sleep-wake cycles in the brain also ensure that different parts of the brain work in sync. Evidence suggests that some people with mental illness have mutations in these genes that may cause disruptions in several areas of the brain. Researchers at the University of Alberta plan to study this phenomenon in fruit flies, using CFI-funded specialized detectors and a microscope to take hundreds of measurements at once. They will look at gene activity in different areas of the brain and ways to force these areas of the brain to cycle together. The research will provide insight into the role of genetics in some mental illnesses and possible avenues for treatment.
  

Quote

“The infrastructure projects funded by the Government of Canada through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund support researchers who are pushing boundaries of knowledge while driving economic prosperity. In the global race for talent, the CFI’s support helps institutions train, attract and retain these talented researchers and ensures all Canadians benefit from their innovations.”

– Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation

Quick facts

• These infrastructure investments are part of a $502 million Government of Canada funding announcement that supports science, researchers and students.
• Projects supported through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) will also receive additional funding through the CFI’s Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF) to cover the costs of operating the research infrastructure. The total investment of $85,895,698 million includes $19,822,084 million from the IOF.

Associated links

• Learn more about the Canada Foundation for Innovation
• Details on the CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF)

About the Canada Foundation for Innovation

With a bold, future-looking mandate, the Canada Foundation for Innovation equips researchers to be global leaders in their field and to respond to emerging challenges. Our investments in state-of-the-art tools, instruments and facilities at universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions underpin both curiosity- and mission-driven research that cuts across disciplines and bridges all sectors. The research infrastructure we fund mobilizes knowledge, spurs innovation and commercialization, and empowers the talented minds of a new generation.

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A full list of our funded projects, as well as stories about the facilities we fund, are available at Innovation.ca. For updates, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and X @InnovationCA and subscribe to our YouTube channel to find videos about the CFI and its transformative research projects.

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