Feds funds science research with $275M over five years
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
NSERC says the funding is earmarked for supporting international, interdisciplinary, fast-breaking and high-risk research
Kirsty Duncan, minister of Science and Sport. PHOTO: Government of Canada
SUDBURY, Ont. – The Government of Canada has launched the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) to provide research funding for Canadian scientists.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) says the NFRF includes an investment of $275 million over five years, and $65 million ongoing, to support international, interdisciplinary, fast-breaking and high-risk research.
Kirsty Duncan, minister of Science and Sport, announced the first 157 early career researchers to receive funding for exploratory research. This first investment of $38 million will support early career researchers with five years or less of experience since their first academic appointment. Each recipient will receive up to $250,000 over the next two years.
“I am pleased today to celebrate the very first researchers to benefit from the New Frontiers in Research Fund. Our government’s vision is for our researchers to take risks and be innovative. We want our scientists and students to have access to state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment, and we want the halls of academia to better reflect the diversity of Canada itself. This new fund will help us achieve that vision,” said Kirsty Duncan, minister of Science and Sport, in a prepared statement.
Ted Hewitt, chair, Canada Research Coordinating Committee, and president, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, also expressed enthusiasm for the program: “As society evolves, and the complexity of the challenges we face increases, so must our means of doing research evolve. The New Frontiers in Research Fund is designed to support leading-edge research and exciting new methodologies that have the potential to transform the way we approach scientific discovery and problem-solving. Through this program, we are truly paving the way for our emerging researchers to expand their horizons, work across disciplines and borders, and to take risks and deliver outcomes that will benefit Canadians now and well into the future.”
