SUDBURY, Ontario, Aug. 15, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Whether delving into the development of advanced medical technologies, or investigating new uses for farming waste, researchers need state-of-the-art labs and equipment to make discoveries and to innovate. Today at Laurentian University, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, acknowledged this with a Government of Canada investment of more than $52 million in 220 new infrastructure projects at 51 universities across Canada. The funding, provided through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), will allow universities and researchers across Canada to carry out ground-breaking research in world-class facilities.

Laurentian University is receiving more than $500,000 for two projects, one of which is a new field and lab analysis facility that will help Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk and her team find new options to address the high financial and environmental costs of mining. Dr. Mykytczuk’s work, which focuses on developing alternative mine waste management technologies, especially for a colder northern climate, contributes to making the mining industry cleaner, safer and more efficient.

Dr. Thomas Merritt is a recipient of a previous JELF award and a collaborator on the second project at Laurentian, which studies molecular complexity and protein function to tackle a range of challenges, from metabolic disease and biological stress to industrial waste clean-up.

The JELF plays an important research support role for Canadian universities, helping them to attract and retain top talent — particularly early-career researchers — with the state-of-the-art equipment they need to excel in their field.

Quotes:
“Our scientists need the best tools and equipment for ground-breaking research and discovery and we are committed to ensuring they have them,” said the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science. “Their successes will lead to an improved economy and will fuel an active research community here in Canada and internationally.”

“State-of-the-art equipment and facilities play a central role in ensuring the new generation of researchers can make breakthrough discoveries and fuel Canadian innovation,” said Roseann Runte, President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. “These facilities will also act as magnets for international collaborations and for the recruitment of the best students and post-doctoral fellows from around the world.”

“Laurentian is proud of its role in performing world-leading research and generating breakthrough ideas,” said Dr. Rui Wang, Vice-President, Research at Laurentian University. “Funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation is critical in supporting the infrastructure needed to expand our research intensity and continue to attract the top researchers and highly qualified personnel to Laurentian University and Sudbury.”

“The JELF award is a critical investment that will help accelerate my research from scientific questions to meaningful results,” said Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk, NOHFC Industrial Research Chair in Biomining Bioremediation and Science Communication at Laurentian University. “Without infrastructure support like this, getting a new research program off the ground in a way that allows us to start tackling our scientific questions would not be possible.”

Quick facts

• Dr. Nadia Mykytczuk is an environmental microbiologist from Laurentian University’s Vale Living with Lakes Centre. Her studies focus on extreme and disturbed environments – especially related to acid mine drainage, metal contaminated sites and high Arctic microbial communities.
  
  
• The JELF helps a select number of exceptional researchers at institutions across the country to conduct leading-edge research by giving them the tools and equipment they need to be or become leaders in their field.
  
  
• The total capital funding for this announcement is $40,013,015. An additional $12,003,905 was awarded under the CFI’s Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF) to help institutions with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with the acquisition of new infrastructure. The total, including the IOF is $52,016,920.

Quick links
John R. Evans Leaders Fund
The CFI Research Facilities Navigator

Related products
A full list of the funded projects and stories about the facilities are available online at Innovation.ca. For updates, follow us on Twitter @InnovationCA and subscribe to our YouTube channel for videos about the CFI and its many transformative research projects.

About the Canada Foundation for Innovation
For 20 years, the CFI has been giving researchers the tools they need to think big and innovate. And a robust innovation system translates into jobs and new enterprises, better health, cleaner environments and, ultimately, vibrant communities. By investing in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in Canada’s universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions, the CFI also helps to attract and retain the world’s top talent, to train the next generation of researchers and to support world-class research that strengthens the economy and improves the quality of life for all Canadians.

Contacts

Malorie Bertrand
Media Relations and
Social Media Specialist
Canada Foundation for Innovation
O: 613-943-2580
C: 613-447-1723
malorie.bertrand@innovation.ca

Ann Marie Paquet
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Science
343-291-2692
ann-marie.paquet@canada.ca

Media Relations
Innovation, Science, and Economic
Development Canada
343-291-1777
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca

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