The funding came from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund, which is designed to help universities attract the best and brightest researchers from the around the world.
The money will be split between nine projects in the faculties of medicine and dentistry, science, engineering, and agricultural, life and environmental sciences.
“Investments in Canada’s research infrastructure are incredibly important to the nation’s future,” Federal Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan said. “They give Canadian researchers the tools they need to make new discoveries that will better the lives of Canadians today and for years to come.”
David Turpin, president of the U of A, said the funding will help expand and strengthen the university’s research capacity and continue to develop the tools needed to address some of the world’s most pressing issues.
“The University of Alberta is home to some of the world’s brightest minds and most advanced research infrastructure,” Turpin said.
“The knowledge, discoveries and innovations that result are helping shape the future and improve the lives of Canadians and people around the world.”
Michael Overduin of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry will benefit from the funding. His research looks into the atomic behaviour of illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and infection.
Overduin studies the molecular structures and interactions of proteins that drive cancer progression and infection. He hopes to design new therapeutic agents to fight diseases that currently lack effective treatments.
“This investment in Canadian science will allow us to see the altered proteins involved in human disease with the resolution, sensitivity and speed needed to design new therapeutic agents,” Overduin said.
Overduin said the money will also help launch DiscoveryLab, which is a collaborative venture for drug discovery research.
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