OTTAWA, Ontario – March 6, 2001 – Brian Tobin, Minister of Industry, and Paul Martin, Minister of Finance, today announced a $750-million investment in the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to boost research capacity at Canadian research institutions.
This $750-million investment will extend the CFI’s various research infrastructure funding programs to 2010. This new investment also builds on the $500 million announced in the 2000 Economic Statement and Budget Update to allow the CFI to begin supporting operating costs of new research infrastructure ($400 million) and Canadian participation in world-leading international research projects ($100 million). These additional investments in the CFI are one of a number of steps the Government of Canada is undertaking to advance world-leading research at Canadian universities and other research institutions. The Government of Canada has now raised its total investment in the CFI to $3.15 billion.
The Canada Foundation for Innovation is an independent, not-for-profit organization that was established by the Government of Canada in 1997 to provide research infrastructure awards to universities, colleges, research hospitals and not-for-profit institutions to increase Canada’s capability to carry out high quality research. The Government of Canada invested $800-million, as part of the 1997 Budget, to address the urgent need of Canada’s research community for new, state-of-the-art research infrastructure. The CFI’s financial support is provided in partnership with all levels of government, and with the private and voluntary sectors. Its work focuses on health, science, engineering, and the environment. To date, the CFI has made grants of over $850 million, complimented by over $1.2 billion in matching funding from provincial, private and voluntary sources.
“This major investment in the Canada Foundation for Innovation forms part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to double its investment in research and development by 2010 and to help Canada become among the top five most research-intensive nations in the world,” said Minister Tobin. “Accelerating research in all sectors of the economy is a prerequisite for strong performance in innovation, and innovation is the key to economic prosperity and maintaining the high quality of life of Canadians. This renewed investment in the CFI demonstrates the important role that researchers play in Canada’s innovation system.”
“Giving the knowledge economy of the 21st century a preferred home in Canada will lead to higher incomes, better jobs and increased opportunities for all Canadians,” added Minister Martin. “This increased funding for the CFI will help us better meet these critical objectives.”
“Thanks to this renewed funding, we will be able to further invest in the development of the research capacity of Canadian universities and research institutions,” said Dr. John Evans, Chairman of the CFI Board of Directors. “Our universities and other research institutions play a critical role in ensuring Canada’s research leadership, and in ensuring that communities across Canada reap the benefits of the knowledge-based economy.”
Dr. David Strangway, President and CEO of the CFI, said, “This renewed funding will allow CFI to extend its lifespan and thus provide the stability required for universities to make further progress in planning their research priorities.”
http://www.innovation.ca/english/new/indexallprojects.html
- The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is an independent organization established by the Government of Canada in 1997. The Foundation’s goal is to strengthen the capability of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and other not-for-profit institutions to carry out world-leading research and technology development. By investing in research infrastructure projects, the CFI supports research excellence, and helps strengthen research training at institutions across Canada.
The CFI’s programs are designed to:
- build Canada’s capacity for innovation; attract and retain highly skilled research personnel in Canada; strengthen research training of young Canadians for the knowledge economy; promote networking, collaboration and multidisciplinarity among researchers and; ensure the optimal use of research infrastructure within and among Canadian institutions.
Innovative programming:
- The CFI invests in projects through the following programs:
- The Innovation Fund enables eligible institutions, either alone or in groups, to strengthen their research infrastructure in priority areas as identified in the strategic research development plans that they provide to the CFI. The fund promotes multidisciplinary and inter-institutional approaches, and enables Canadian researchers to tackle groundbreaking projects.
- The New Opportunities Fund provides infrastructure support to newly recruited academic staff. The fund helps universities attract world-class faculty members in areas that are essential to the institutions’ research objectives.
- The University Research Development Fund and the College Research Development Fund help small universities and colleges build their research capacity and strengths by establishing research infrastructure funding envelopes to which individual institutions can apply.
- In addition, the CFI supports activities aimed at strengthening Canada’s research leadership:
- The Foundation provides infrastructure support to the Canada Research Chairs Program, which is establishing 2,000 world-class research positions at Canadian universities.
- Later this year, international research infrastructure funding will offer Canadian researchers the opportunity to collaborate with the best in the world, by helping them build and access facilities and research projects in Canada and abroad.
- Also later this year, funding will be available to help institutions pay for the operating costs of new CFI-funded research installations and equipment.
Only the best
- Eligible Canadian universities, colleges, hospitals, and not-for-profit research organizations can apply for CFI support. Applications must meet the three CFI criteria:
- quality of research and need for the infrastructure; contribution to strengthening the capacity for innovation and; potential benefits of the research to Canada.
- Support from the CFI is awarded following a thorough assessment process that involves the participation of researchers, research administrators and research users from Canada and abroad. These volunteers are selected for their expertise and reputation in a wide range of fields and disciplines. Their role is to review the proposals and make funding recommendations to the CFI Board of Directors for decision.
- The CFI has been awarded $3.15 billion since 1997, and has awarded over $850 million to universities, hospitals and colleges for renewal of their research infrastructure. This has leveraged over $1.2 billion in matching funding from provincial, private and voluntary sources.
Canada-Wide
- Research infrastructure awards from the CFI have had an important impact on universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit institutions, both large and small, across the country. The distribution of awards across Canada matches the geographical distribution of research scale and intensity in these institutions. This testifies to the excellence of researchers in all regions of the country and in all sizes and types of research institutions. Further information on the regional and institutional distribution of CFI awards is contained in the attached table from the CFI web site, http://www.innovation.ca. Additional information can be obtained from this web site about the mission, programs and activities of the Foundation.
New CFI Funding
- In the Economic Statement and Budget Update delivered in October 2000, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $500 million in CFI. This investment is in two parts: $400 million will allow CFI to contribute to the operating costs of new CFI awards; and $100 million will allow CFI to support the participation of Canadian researchers in international research projects and facilities that offer significant research benefits to Canada. In addition, the CFI was authorized to establish a second $100 million fund from its existing funding to support a small number of world-leading research collaborations. The Government of Canada will fully fund awards within each of these new initiatives. It is expected that these new programs will be in place during the summer of 2001.
- The Government of Canada is now announcing a further $750-million investment in the CFI. This will allow the CFI to extend the operation of its various support programs from 2005 to 2010. This new funding is expected to be provided in the summer of 2001.
The Canada Foundation for Innovation
