McGill University receives $17,600,000 from Canada Research Chairs program

McGill UniversitySep 24 2009

Nineteen McGill University researchers exploring issues from biomaterials to global climate change to advanced mathematics are among the 181 newly appointed or renewed Canada Research Chairs announced September 23 by the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology.)

McGill received nine Tier-1 and 10 Tier-2 Chairs, including 11 renewals, for a total of $17,600,000, the largest amount received by any Canadian university this year. Additionally, the Canada Foundation for Innovation is investing more than $750,000 to fund research infrastructure essential to the work done by six of those Chairs.

"McGill is very grateful to the Canada Research Chairs program for this important funding," said Denis Th-rien, Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations) at McGill University. "We are attracting top talent to our University through the CRC program, bringing in a generation of researchers who are advancing discovery and innovation in exciting new directions."

Minister Goodyear announced an investment of $159.1 million to fund 181 Canada Research Chairs (CRC) from 45 universities across the country. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is also contributing $7.4 million to support research infrastructure essential to the work being performed by 46 of the chairholders.

"Canada's government is investing in science and technology to strengthen the economy, improve Canadians' quality of life and create the jobs of tomorrow - today," said Minister Goodyear. "The Canada Research Chairs Program helps attract and retain the best researchers from the country and around the world to Canadian universities, which has direct benefits for our communities."

The Government of Canada created the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program in 2000 to establish 2,000 research professorships across the country by 2008, with the aim of making Canada one of the world's top five countries for research and development. Since then, McGill has used its CRCs to recruit an exceptional group of international researchers as well as to repatriate a number of outstanding Canadian and Qu-b-cois researchers from postings abroad.