Canada's New Government Invests $583 Million In The Next Generation Of Canadian Researchers

Dr. Colin Carrie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Dr. Suzanne Fortier, President of NSERC, have announced the results of the 2007 Grants and Scholarships awards, which will see $583 million disbursed to 10,000 professors and students across Canada.



As a result of the current competition, some 3,300 professors from across Canada will receive $458.8 million in Discovery Grants to support their research in the natural sciences and engineering. (These awards are normally paid out over five years.)



In addition, 2,402 young university researchers - 2,148 at the graduate level and 254 at the postdoctoral level - will receive $99.2 million to pursue their studies in these fields, while 4,296 undergraduate students will receive Undergraduate Student Research Awards worth a total of $19.3 million to give them hands-on research experience in a laboratory.



"Our newly released science and technology strategy - Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage - recognizes the importance of doing more to turn ideas into innovations that provide solutions to our environmental, health and other important challenges, and to improve Canada's economic competitiveness," said Parliamentary Secretary Carrie. "These awards will help ensure that this country's best and brightest professors and students can continue their work and their contribution to the prosperity and well-being of all Canadians."



This year also sees the introduction of the Discovery Accelerator Supplements, a new NSERC initiative to foster research excellence. With a total of $6 million in new funding, this initiative will provide significant supplements to a select group of researchers in order to boost their productivity at a critical juncture in their careers.



"These new grants target 50 outstanding researchers. Based on their success and accomplishments so far, we believe they are poised to make real breakthroughs in their fields, and we believe it is critically important to support them financially at this time," observed Dr. Fortier.






NSERC is a federal agency whose role is to make investments in people, discovery and innovation for the benefit of all Canadians. The agency invests in people by supporting some 23,000 university students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding more than 11,000 university professors every year and helps make innovation happen by encouraging about 1,300 Canadian companies to invest in university research and training. Over the past 10 years, NSERC has invested $6 billion in basic research, university-industry projects, and the training of Canada's next generation of scientists and engineers.



For more information, contact:



Isabelle Fontaine

Office of the Honourable Maxime Bernier

Minister of Industry



Background Information



The 15 universities receiving the largest allocation of NSERC grants and scholarships this year are:



University of Toronto: $65.8 million

University of British Columbia: $46.4 million

McGill University: $38.6 million

University of Alberta: $31.9 million

University of Waterloo: $29.9 million

The University of Western Ontario: $21.2 million

Universite de Montreal: $19.7 million

University of Calgary: $18.5 million

Dalhousie University: $18.0 million

Universite de Sherbrooke: $17.8 million

Universite Laval: $17.6 million

McMaster University: $17.3 million

Queen's University: $16.0 million

University of Ottawa: $15.7 million

University of Manitoba: $14.0 million



Contact: Michael Dwyer


Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council