Science is about discovery. When researchers are given the tools to push the boundaries of knowledge, great things happen. These discoveries lead to the innovations that will grow the economy and help ensure Canada has a workforce capable of taking on the challenges of today and tomorrow.

“This investment is a clear illustration of why we made science a priority in Budget 2018. The investments we are making today at Acadia University will give researchers and students the foundation they need to explore the new avenues of discovery that will benefit all of us.”

– The Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government

“Canada supports science and our talented researchers. Today, we are delivering on our historic investment in research and in the next generation of scientists. The remarkable researchers and students we are celebrating are working to make the world a better place and to secure a brighter future for all Canadians.”

– The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport 

“The funding commitment outlined in Budget 2018 will provide a very significant increase to the Discovery Program to support science and engineering researchers. Additionally, this investment will contribute critical supplementary funding to launch early-career researchers and to support equity, diversity and inclusion.”

– Dr. Pierre Charest, Vice-President, Research Grants and Scholarships Directorate, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada 

“My research investigates contaminants in the environment and, particularly, the role that humans play in producing and dispersing them. My students and I conduct field-based research and collaborate with industry, government and First Nations partners, and this Discovery Grant allows me to continue to fund and train undergraduate and graduate students and offer them exposure to important social and environmental issues.”

– Dr. Ian Spooner, Professor, Earth and Environmental Science Department, Acadia University

• The $558-million research investment announced by Minister Duncan on October 9 includes $70 million in new funding from Budget 2018. The grants go toward NSERC discovery programs, graduate and postgraduate scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships, and research tools and instruments.

• Among this year’s Discovery Grants recipients is the University of Waterloo’s Dr. Donna Strickland, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, who is receiving support for her work on using lasers to better understand matter at the molecular level.

• The $558-million investment also includes $5.4 million in funding to help more than 400 early-career researchers in the first year of their Discovery Grants launch their careers.

• Investments in science are essential to innovation and to the economic strength of a country.

Associated links

• Canada’s research community to benefit from largest investment in discovery science in Canadian history
• About the Discovery Grants Program
• Overview of NSERC investments across Canada

Follow @CDNScience on social media for science-related news: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA

Follow NSERC on Twitter: @NSERC_CRSNG

Nyree St-Denis
Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of Science and Sport
343-291-4051
nyree.st-denis@canada.ca

Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
343-291-1777
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca

Valérie Levert-Gagnon
Media and Public Affairs Officer
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
613-996-2341
Valerie.Levert-Gagnon@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

About NSERC

NSERC invests over $1.2 billion each year in natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. Our investments deliver discoveries—valuable world-firsts in knowledge claimed by a brain trust of over 11,000 professors. Our investments enable partnerships and collaborations that connect industry with discoveries and the people behind them. Researcher-industry partnerships supported by NSERC help inform research and development and solve scale-up challenges.

NSERC also provides scholarships and hands-on training experience for more than 30,000 post-secondary students and post-doctoral fellows. These young researchers will be the next generation of science and engineering leaders in Canada.