$14M funding for research projects at Simon Fraser

Vancouver, BC – Nearly $14 million in provincial funding through the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) has been awarded to researchers Simon Fraser University (SFU) to support five projects in the areas of health and life sciences.

The projects are as follows:

Supercomputers/Cyberinfrastructure – Funding: $11.85 million BCKDF contribution. This project pertains to replacing aging supercomputing systems with a consolidated set of new systems specifically designed to meet Canadian and British Columbian research needs. A technological refresh will enable B.C. researchers to pursue leading-edge big data research across a wide range of disciplines.

Silicon Quantum Information Laboratory – Funding: $410,000 BCKDF contribution. This project pertains to the research and development of quantum information technologies. These technologies will have a transformative global impact across countless industrial and research areas.

GlycoScreen – Funding: $1.025 million BCKDF contribution. This project pertains to GlycoScreen: The Alberta-BC Glycan Screening Centre, which combines expertise from SFU, the University of Victoria, and the University of Alberta. Research goals include assembling a complementary suite of facilities for molecular characterization and library screening.

GRIFFIN compton and background suppression shields – Funding: $500,000 BCKDF contribution. This project is part of a larger national project lead by the University of Guelph and represents the second phase and completion of the Gamma-Ray Infrastrastructure for Fundamental Investigations in Nuclei (GRIFFIN), a state of the art, high-efficiency gamma ray spectrometer used to study atomic nuclei. Research infrastructure may be used for advanced training applicable to nuclear medicine and fuel cell research.

High-resolution mass spectrometer – Funding: $200,000 BCKDF contribution. Funding will be used to purchase a state of the art mass spectrometer to enable development of a revolutionary and universal technology for the discovery of new bioactive compounds eg: anti-cancer or antibiotic activities.