$60M for research infrastructure in Quebec

Montreal, QC November 24, 2003 Universities, colleges and affiliated research institutes in Quebec are receiving a total of $61,863,297 this year from the federal government to help cover indirect costs associated with federally sponsored research.

Post-secondary institutions in the Montral area will receive more than $40 million as part of this initiative.

The following institutions in Montral are receiving funding under the indirect costs program: Concordia University ($3,193,664), McGill University ($16,887,107), Universit de Montral ($11,828,477), HEC Montral ($561,460), Ecole Polytechnique de Montral ($3,869,275), Ecole nationale d’administration publique ($56,876), Ecole de technologie suprieure ($726,677) and Universit du Qubec Montral ($3,430,670).

Indirect costs are those that stem from research activities, but are not attributed to specific research projects, such as:
– operation and maintenance expenses, such as utilities, repairs, security, environmental health and safety, and insurance;
– central institutional library and research archiving expenses;
– ethics committee expenses; and
– technology transfer and commercialization services.

“The Government of Canada is working to ensure that Canada is one of the most innovative countries in the world by 2010,” says Allan Rock, minister of industry. “Supporting our researchers in post-secondary institutions will be key to our success. I am proud to announce this major investment in Canada’s research community, which is a significant step forward in achieving our innovation goals.”

Launched by the federal government in 2001, the indirect costs program was made permanent in 2003. It supports the research efforts of large and small universities by providing funding for indirect costs, such as the operation and maintenance of equipment and facilities, information management systems, and technology transfer and commercialization services.

“This Government of Canada investment in indirect costs will have an important impact on our research programs,” says Dr Roch Denis, rector of the Universit du Qubec Montral. “With this permanent program, universities, colleges and affiliated research institutes will be better positioned to respond to meet the growing challenges of sustaining research programs.”

Under the indirect costs program, the distribution of funds to individual universities will be based on their past federal research awards from the federal university-research granting agencies: the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.