The federal government is investing nearly $24 million towards research equipment at the University of Alberta.
On Thursday, the government announced $23.8 million in funding is going towards developing projects at the university that lead to ground-breaking results in areas such as adapting forests to climate change, advancing heart failure research and detecting and studying dark matter.
“It is an honour to have the opportunity to support such impressive research projects that address major problems in our society today such as heart failure and climate change,” Infrastructure and Communities Minister Amarjeet Sohi said.
“I have no doubt that science will push Canada to the forefront of future innovation and discovery.”
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The university’s Centre for Nanofabrication will be one of the departments that benefits from the grant.
Dr. Jillian Buriak, Canada research chair in Nanomaterials for Energy at the U of A, said the grant will support the transition of laboratory scale discoveries into mass manufactured products at the centre.
“It is extremely important because training students on high-tech instrumentation allows them to go out into the field to start companies, to work with companies and really bring all this high tech infrastructure knowledge to the Canadian economy,” Buriak said.
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The U of A funding is part of more than $554 million going towards 117 new infrastructure projects at 61 post-secondary institutions and research hospitals as part of the Canada foundation for innovation Fund.
“The funding challenges Canadian universities, colleges and research hospitals to tackle the biggest issues facing us today and take research to the next level,” Sohi said.
The CFI Fund is intended to advance artificial intelligence, quantum science, brain health and renewable energy.