Announcement of the Canada First Research Excellence Fund Selection Board

News Release

Eight leaders from Canada’s academic, public and private sectors have been appointed to the Canada First Research Excellence Fund Selection Board.

June 4, 2015, Ottawa, Ontario—Chairs Secretariat

The arms-length Selection Board will ensure that the Fund supports initiatives on the basis of the highest international standards of research excellence, and that funding decisions take into account areas of strength, opportunity and relevance to Canada.

The Chair of the Selection Board will be Ken Knox, a former president and CEO of the Innovation Institute of Ontario and the Ontario Innovation Trust. He has also served as Ontario’s deputy minister of energy, science and technology.

The other members of the international, eight-person board are:

Maura Davies, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Donald Bruce Dingwell, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
Myron Gutmann, University of Colorado at Boulder, United States
Bob McCulloch, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Fred Morley, Halifax Partnership
Henri-Paul Rousseau, Power Corporation of Canada
Deborah Smith, Pro-vice-chancellor for research University of York, United Kingdom

Quick facts

Launched in December 2014, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund will invest $1.5 billion over 10 years to propel Canadian research at universities and colleges from world-class to world leading in areas that create long-term economic advantages for Canada.
The inaugural competition will see Canadian postsecondary institutions compete for research funding of up to $350 million over seven years. A second, larger competition will take place in 2015-16.
The Fund is administered by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) on behalf of the three granting agencies: SSHRC, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Economic Action Plan 2015 reaffirms the Government’s commitment to CFREF and provides an additional $46 million per year to the granting councils, including SSHRC, to support world-class post-secondary research and help sustain Canada’s strong capacity for developing knowledge and talent.

Quotes

“I would like to congratulate Ken Knox along with the esteemed members of the new Selection Board for the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. Together, this group of experts drawn from the private and public sector will help ensure that our government’s $1.5-billion legacy Fund will be invested in world-leading Canadian research at universities and colleges in areas that increase prosperity and improve the quality of life of Canadians.”
- Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology)

“Ken Knox has an outstanding track record as a champion of innovation. He will make an exceptional chair of the selection board. As Canada makes an historic investment in research, his insight and experience will be invaluable.”
- Ted Hewitt, President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; and Chair, Canada First Research Excellence Fund steering committee

“It is an honour to be named Selection Board Chair for this game-changing initiative. Canada has long been at the forefront of research innovation. I look forward to working with my selection board colleagues to ensure all projects supported under the Fund meet the highest standards of research excellence.”
- Ken Knox, Chair, Canada First Research Excellence Fund Selection Board

Additional links

Contacts

Scott French
Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs
Office of the Honourable Ed Holder
Minister of State (Science and Technology)
Tel.: 343-291-2700

Michael Adams
Communications Advisor
Canada First Research Excellence Fund
Tel.: 613-944-1758
Cell: 613-219-7523

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Hon. Ed Holder Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Science and Technology

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2016-12-14

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Announcement of the Canada First Research Excellence Fund Selection Board

News Release

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