In a largely unheralded
announcement just before Christmas, the
Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) indicated it will invest over $3.43 million in research grants to Toronto universities.
The money from the arms-length federal government agency is intended to fund infrastructure that allows universities to attract and retain top talent, create and sustain jobs and foster innovation. According to the CFI, the investment should yield more than $24 million in economic benefits to Toronto, including jobs, due to the multiplier effect of the capital projects it funds.
The
University of Toronto will receive $3,168,321 to support 19 different projects, including "Infrastructure for Molecular Genetics and Therapeutics in Sarcoma," "Establishment of a Live-Cell Imaging and Biochemistry Laboratory for Research in Organelle Biogenesis and Degradation" and "Pharmacogenetics in Psychiatry: a New Era of Personalized Medicine."
Ryerson University, meanwhile, will receive $264,401 to fund a "Combined X-Ray Diffraction and Differential Scanning Calorimetry Facility for the Evaluation of Phase Changes in Foods and other Materials."
The grants, given under the CFI's "Leadership Opportunities Fund," were among those awarded to 40 institutions across Canada totaling $59.39 million. The CFI said in its announcement that in addition to jobs created that are associated with capital construction, the awards will fund the work of "351 of the country's brightest minds."
Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: CFI