Nine national research facilities have received a total of $25-million in funding for ongoing operations and maintenance from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) Major Science Initiatives Fund. This fund allows researchers to undertake world-class research and technology development leading to social, economic and environmental benefits for Canadians.

A selection of the facilities chosen to receive funding through the CFI’s expert-review process include:

• The Advanced Laser Light Source laboratory at INRS Université d’avant-garde in Varennes, Que.;
• The NCIC Clinical Trials Group at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.;
• Érudit, a multi-institutional publishing consortium at the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and Université du Québec à Montréal; and
• The SuperDARN radar network at University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Sask.

Successful facilities were chosen based on scientific excellence, capacity for innovation, governance structure and ability to provide tangible benefits to Canadians.

“These unique national research facilities have a proven record of being catalysts for extraordinary ideas,” says Gilles Patry, President and CEO at CFI. “When talented scientists converge in these state-of-the-art spaces, they are inspired to push the boundaries and think big.”

The CFI also provided funds to the Université Laval for their arctic research aboard the CCGS Amundsen, Canada’s only dedicated research icebreaker.