Postsecondary research at Western, and other Canadian institutions, will get a boost to the international stage, thanks to the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), launched today by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
As part of the 2014 budget, the federal government announced a $1.5-billion investment toward the creation of the CFREF, a fund meant to addresses the need for Canada’s research-intensive universities to compete internationally, as well as develop and attract new research talent that would contribute to Canada’s economy and prosperity.
Canadian postsecondary institutions will be able to apply for funding over seven years.
“We appreciate how the federal government engaged and listened to postsecondary leaders in the creation of this new fund. And I would like to give special thanks to Prime Minister Harper and Minister (Ed) Holder for their leadership,” said Amit Chakma, Western president and vice-chancellor. “The competitive, peer-reviewed framework that’s been announced today is exactly what our sector needs to promote the kind of excellence Canada needs to compete on the world stage.”
Grants will be awarded on the basis of scientific merit, strategic relevance to Canada (including the potential for the research area to create long-term economic advantages for Canada) as well as the quality of the proposed implementation plan.
Funding will be administered by the Social Sciences and Humanities research Council of Canada, on behalf of all three granting agencies, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
“Our government is committed to promoting excellence in science, technology and innovation, with a view to advancing the economic prospects and well-being of Canadians. The Canada First Research Excellence Fund will provide a significant boost for many of our post-secondary institutions, enabling our strongest and most innovative research programs to thrive and flourish,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the announcement Thursday.
“Canada’s ability to attract top talent and research partnerships requires its world-class institutions to have the ability to seize emerging opportunities on the global stage by capitalizing on their proven strengths. The fund will enable research that creates jobs, opportunities and the prosperity of Canadians for years to come, from coast to coast to coast.”
Researchers who plan to apply for funding are free to determine the scope and scale of their proposals. Funding is available to multi-institutional initiatives as well as single-institution proposals. All applications have to align with the federal government’s Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) priority research areas, outlined in the updated ST&I strategy. These include environment and agriculture; health and life sciences; natural resources and energy; information and communications technologies and advanced manufacturing.
Applications will be reviewed by “independent panels of international scientific experts as well as an arms-length selection board composed of leaders from the academic, public and private sectors,” read a statement from the Prime Minister’s office, issued on Thursday.
Applications for the first round of the CFREF competition will be due in March 2015.