Government of Canada invests in strategic research at the University of Ottawa

Investment further positions Canadian post-secondary institutions as world leaders

OTTAWA, ON, June 14, 2023 /CNW/ - Throughout Canada, universities spur innovation, support scientific discoveries and train tomorrow's researchers and workers. To ensure Canada remains at the forefront of research, innovation and wealth generation, the Government of Canada is investing in the success of the country's researchers.

Today, the Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board, highlighted an investment of more than $109 million in the University of Ottawa through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF). This funding is part of a $1.4 billion investment in support of 11 large-scale research initiatives, which was announced by the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, on April 28. This investment will allow researchers at Canadian universities to capitalize on the strengths of their research areas and attract capital and world-class talent.

The Brain-Heart Interconnectome initiative at the University of Ottawa is the first dedicated interdisciplinary research program to study, prevent and treat brain-heart disorders. It will deliver tools for earlier diagnosis, new medical treatments, and new non-pharmaceutical interventions that will help prevent these disorders. The Brain-Heart Interconnectome initiative—and all CFREF initiatives—will foster community, provincial, national and international partnerships across the academic, private and not-for-profit sectors to deliver research leading to important social and economic benefits for Canadians.

By supporting initiatives focused on, among other things, treating and preventing brain and heart diseases, cutting carbon emissions in our communities, and making discoveries through responsible artificial intelligence use, robotics and advanced computing, CFREF is helping Canadian researchers pioneer global insights and strengthen Canada's social and technological innovation ecosystems.

Quotes

"Today's research is tomorrow's economy. Since the start, our government has re-established the fundamental role of science and scientists in our society. The funded initiatives, including the one here at the University of Ottawa, will lead to breakthrough discoveries that will improve people's lives, nourish our innovation ecosystems, and shape Canada's prosperity for years to come. Such is the value of universities, and of our Canadian researchers who think outside the box to tackle the greatest challenges of our time."  
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

"Through initiatives like this one, we are reinforcing Canada's competitive advantage as a destination of choice for world-class research. Our government is proud to support the world-leading researchers here at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa Vanier and their partners. They are conducting meaningful work that will generate ground-breaking discoveries and deepen our understanding of human health, which will ultimately lead to healthier communities." 
– The Honourable Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board

"Canada's post-secondary institutions are rich in talent and ideas and are committed to building healthier, more sustainable, more inclusive and prosperous communities. With support from the federal government's Canada First Research Excellence Fund, they are able to build on these foundations to develop advanced research programs that showcase Canadian talent and lead the world in developing solutions to the critical challenges facing our planet, from environmental sustainability to advanced biotherapeutics, child health and population migration."
—Ted Hewitt, Chair, Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat Steering Committee; President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; and Chair, Canada Research Coordinating Committee

"The University of Ottawa is very pleased and proud to see this innovative approach be supported by the federal government. The BHI will bring together long-standing areas of priority and excellence from the University of Ottawa, uOttawa Brain and Mind Research Institute (uOBMRI) and University of Ottawa Heart Institute. More than four million Canadians are affected by cardiovascular disease and neurological disorders. The breakthrough research conducted by BHI will have a direct impact on the health and the lives of Canadians."
—Sylvain Charbonneau, uOttawa vice-president, research and innovation

Quick facts

• Created in 2014, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) supports Canadian post-secondary institutions in their efforts to become global research leaders. The program helps Canadian universities, colleges and polytechnics compete with the best in the world for talent and partnership opportunities. It also supports them in making breakthrough discoveries; seizing emerging opportunities and strategically advancing their greatest strengths on the global stage; and implementing large-scale, transformational and forward-thinking institutional strategies.
• The investment of close to $1.4 billion will also support the following 10 initiatives:
• McGill University: $165 million for DNA to RNA: An Inclusive Canadian Approach to Genomic-based RNA Therapeutics (D2R)
• Memorial University of Newfoundland: $91 million for Qanittaq Clean Arctic Shipping Initiative
• Dalhousie University: $154M for Transforming Climate Action: Addressing the Missing Ocean
• University of Toronto: $199 million for Acceleration Consortium: Self-Driving Labs for Molecular and Materials Discovery
• University of Victoria: $83 million for Accelerating Community Energy Transformation
• Université de Montréal: $124 million for R3AI: Shifting Paradigms for a Robust, Reasoning, and Responsible Artificial Intelligence and its Adoption
• York University: $105 million for Connected Minds: Neural and Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society
• Concordia University: $123 million for Electrifying Society: Towards Decarbonized Resilient Communities
• University of Calgary: $125 million for One Child Every Child: A Transformational Child Health Research Initiative
• Toronto Metropolitan University: $98 million for Migrant Integration in the mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides
• CFREF invests approximately $200 million per year through a highly competitive peer review process, held every seven years, to support selected Canadian post-secondary institutions in turning their key strengths into world-leading capabilities.
• CFREF is a tri-agency institutional program administered by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS), housed at the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), on behalf of the three federal research funding agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and SSHRC.
• Initiatives funded by CFREF are selected through an independent, multidisciplinary and international competitive peer review process. 

Associated links

• About the Canada First Research Excellence Fund
• 2022 CFREF competition results
• 2016 CFREF Competition 2 results
• 2015 CFREF Competition 1 results

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SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Contacts: Laurie Bouchard, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, [email protected]; Media Relations: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected]