Research. Discovery. Innovation. Progress.
It’s how we invented the wheel, and first circumnavigated the globe.
It’s how we keep peace and fight disease.
It’s how we feed a growing global population projected to reach 9.6 Billion by 2050, and it’s how we will continue to improve environmental protection.
In short: It’s how we humans create meaningful long-lasting change, leaving a better world for those who follow us.
This is our government launched Canada’s Science and Technology Strategy in 2007, and provided more than $11 billion to support research, talent development and infrastructure.
Thanks to these investments, Canada is a prime destination for top researchers and skilled workers from around the world. In fact, our nation ranks first among G-7 countries in spending on research and development in universities and colleges as a share of its gross domestic product.
The incredible progress we have made has opened many new doors for research and discovery. To harness these new opportunities, our government is renewing our commitment to attracting researchers and scientists whose drive and creativity hold unlimited potential for our society.
Recently, our government launched the new $1.5 billion Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
This fund will provide support to Canadian post-secondary institutions for key projects over the next seven years.
Funding will be administered by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and available to all post-secondary institutions on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis.
Applications for the initial round of funding will be due in March 2015, with a second round to be launched by 2016 at the latest. The Fund will consider large, potentially multi-institutional initiatives as well as smaller, single-institution proposals.
For more information, visit the CFREF website: cfref-apogee.gc.ca.
In creating this new Fund, our government’s goal is to generate the kind of innovation that will be of immediate benefit to this generation as well as those to follow. What will come of this investment? The possibilities are endless, and in a day and age when scientific breakthroughs are coming at a pace never seen before in the scope of human history, you can bet it will be amazing.
