$73.8M supports three new research networks

Ottawa, ON – Three new Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) have been established with a total of $73.8 million over five years in funding. The networks are being managed jointly by three federal granting agencies — the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada — in partnership with Industry Canada.

Funding was awarded to three new NCEs following a competition to assess the applicants’ research proposal, training program, level of networking and partnerships, knowledge-transfer activities, and management. The new networks are:

– BioFuelNet, based at McGill University and led by scientific director Donald Smith ($24.9 million);

– Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network, based at Dalhousie University and led by scientific director Douglas Wallace ($25 million); and

– Technology Evaluation in the Elderly Network, based at Queen’s University and led by scientific director Daren Heyland ($23.9 million).

“Canada helped pioneer networking more than 20 years ago as a way of getting the most out of our research capacity,” said Dr  Suzanne Fortier, chair of the NCE Steering Committee and president of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. “By bringing together the best minds from across the country to focus on a specific area, these new networks carry on a proud tradition that has benefitted Canada greatly.”