The Canada Foundation for Innovation said it will provide $33.6 million in support of more than 100 research projects at 38 universities across the country.
Among the top recipients, McMaster University will receive $3.3 million for 10 research projects and the University of Alberta will receive $2.7 million for seven projects; the University of Manitoba gets $2.2 million supporting eight projects.
The initiatives run the gamut from developing new imaging methods for cancer treatment at the University of Toronto to coming up with new methods to reinforce Quebec’s aging bridges and overpasses by researchers at Université de Sherbrooke.
The announcement, made Jan. 24 by Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear at the University of Alberta, is part of the CFI’s regularly announced investments through its Leaders Opportunity Fund. The funds are earmarked for research infrastructure and equipment, and their maintenance. CFI makes three rounds of funding available every year under the Leaders Opportunity Fund.
Yaman Boluk, engineering professor and Nanofibre Chair in Forest Products at U of A, said the funding will have a big impact on his work and also on Canada’s forestry industry. “It’s quite significant,” said Dr. Boluk, who won $100,000 to purchase new equipment for his lab, where he investigates new uses and applications for nanocellulose fibre, a wood-derived product.