Government of Canada highlights investment of $9.7M in 13 research projects at the Université de Sherbrooke

News release

March 13, 2019 – Sherbrooke, Quebec – Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Canada is home to highly trained and creative health researchers, and the Government of Canada is proud to support their important work.

Today, while touring the research facilities at the Université de Sherbrooke, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health,highlighted a recent federal investment in health research.

The almost $10 million awarded to Université de Sherbrooke researchers is part of a $275 million national investment to support Canadian researchers who are studying the full spectrum of health issues affecting the lives of Canadians. This investment in health research supports our economy and creates high-quality middle-class jobs. Every $100 million invested in health research represents 1,800 jobs for researchers and trainees.

Ministers Petitpas Taylor met with grant recipients at the Université de Sherbrooke to celebrate their achievements and to learn more about their research projects. A highlight of the visit included lab tours with Dr. Caroline Saucier, who is working to find new ways of treating colorectal cancer – the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada – and Dr. Tai Lee-Hwa, who is exploring how to use a vaccine to treat a very aggressive form of breast cancer.

Quotes

“Investments in health research are some of the most important that we can make as a nation. I am honoured and humbled today to meet with some of Canada’s brightest health research stars to see firsthand how their federally funded projects hold the potential for scientific advancements, new treatments, and improved quality of life for Canadians living with a variety of health conditions.”

The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health

 “Health research has the power to help us tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing us as a society, and Canadians should be proud of the incredible work being done from coast to coast to coast. As a researcher myself, I can say that the work is rarely glamourous—but it is always worthwhile, and I am excited to watch these CIHR-funded projects unfold.”

Michael J. Strong, President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research

“The recent successes of our professors in the last Canadian Institutes of Health Research competition are admirable and will enhance research at the Université de Sherbrooke, while helping us become a leader in equity and inclusion. The research activities generated by these grants will also allow us to recruit graduate students, helping to attract the talent that society desperately needs for its advancement.”

Professor Dominique Dorion, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke

Quick facts

  • The projects funded through the $275M investment are supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)’s largest funding program.

    • This program, called the Project Grant program, is designed to capture ideas with the greatest potential to advance health research and the health care system.
    • It supports projects of varying sizes and duration through a highly competitive and rigorous review process.
    • CIHR runs two Project Grant competitions per year.
    • The results from the latest competition were released in January 2019, and the funding ($275M) will begin on April 1, 2019.
  • Eighty-two of the grants from the latest competition were awarded to early career researchers (those within the first five years of their first academic appointment).

  • Eleven of the grants funded are focused on Indigenous health research. CIHR is proud to support these projects as part of its commitment to invest 4.6% of its annual budget in Indigenous health research.

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Contacts

Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
613-941-4563
mediarelations@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Thierry Bélair
Office of Ginette Petitpas Taylor
Minister of Health
613-957-0200

At the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) we know that research has the power to change lives. As Canada's health research investment agency, we collaborate with partners and researchers to support the discoveries and innovations that improve our health and strengthen our health care system.

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