Canada Foundation for Innovation funding announced at UTM

Federal Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan (MP, Etobicoke North) visited U of T Mississauga on Friday, April 17 to announce federal support for research projects at the University of Toronto and across the country.

Earlier this month, the federal government announced $19-million in funding to support 94 projects at 33 universities across Canada, including $5.2 million in funding for 19 projects at U of T. The projects are supported through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund, a fund designed to help universities attract and retain the best and brightest researchers from around the world by giving them access to cutting-edge research tools.

“One of the great programs we have to support both discovery research and innovation is the John R. Evans Leaders Fund,” Duncan said. “Investments like today’s in Canada’s research infrastructure are incredibly important to the nation’s future. They give Canadian researchers the tools they need to make new discoveries that will better the lives of Canadians today and for years to come.”

Among the U of T researchers receiving CFI funding is UTM assistant professor of biology Adriano Senatore, whose research addresses some of the most fundamental and challenging questions associated with the nervous system and its evolution.

Support from CFI has helped to establish his research program at UTM, Senatore said. “This welcome funding is helping me to equip my lab with cutting-edge research tools, such as a high-performance computer, state-of-the-art microscopes and an electrophysiology system,” he said. “These critical pieces of equipment will help us to better understand how the nervous system evolved, providing a broader understanding of our own nervous system function and disease.”

Senatore noted that federal investment would have an impact far beyond his own lab. “Personnel in this lab are using the equipment on a day-to-day basis and are learning how to use cutting-edge tools. They will take this knowledge forward in their own careers in industry and academia,” he said.

Ulrich Krull, UTM Vice-Principal, Special Initiatives, welcomed the announcement. “Investment in cutting-edge research tools that are placed in the hands of research leaders fuels a significant legacy,” he said. Noting that 2017 is the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the fund, Krull lauded what he called “the tremendous accomplishment that CFI and other programs, like the Canada Research Chairs, have made to the evolution of this country as a powerhouse in terms of creativity in the world.”

“The CFI is specifically designed to provide infrastructure, equipment, space and operating money. It

provides the tools that are required for Canadian scientists to actually compete on an international scale,” Krull said. “Having the infrastructure in place is important for attracting bright scientific talent, but it's also about the students that they touch, the interactions, the creativity that come from that type of exposure, the people that are resourced with the right equipment and have the right ideas to change the world.”