Federal Government investing over $200,000 at St. Francis Xavier University to assist with cutting-edge labs and equipment
Left to right: Pablo Scrosati and Tiffany Brooks (Honours students of Dr. Razul), Dr. Petra Hauf
Dean of Science, MP Sean Fraser, Dr. Geniece Hallett-Tapley, Dr. Mohamed Shajahan Gulam Razul, and Oliver Kuhem (Dr. Hallett-Tapley’s Honours Student) and Bry Crabbe (MSc student).
For Immediate Release
Funding supports universities and researchers to carry out ground-breaking research in world-class facilities
Whether delving into the development of advanced medical technologies, or investigating new uses for farming waste, researchers need state-of-the-art labs and equipment to make discoveries and to innovate. Sean Fraser, Member of Parliament for Central Nova acknowledged this with a Government of Canada investment today of $156,730 in funding for two of these projects at St. Francis Xavier University. Along with the JELF Funding, St. Francis Xavier University will receive an additional $47,019 in funding from CFI’s Infrastructure Operating Fund. This fund assists universities with a portion of the incremental operating costs of the projects receiving JELF funding.
Dr. Mohamed Shajahan Gulam Razul is receiving $67,544 for research equipment for the development and structure-function relationship studies of cryoprotectants in seafood; and Dr. Geniece Hallett-Tapley is receiving $89,186 for applications of modified perovskite photocatalysts in fundamental organic transformations.
The funding, provided through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), will allow universities and researchers across Canada to carry out ground-breaking research in world-class facilities. The national announcement was made by the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, and took place on August 15, 2017 at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. It recognized a Government of Canada investment of more than $52 million in 220 new infrastructure projects at 51 universities across Canada.
The John R. Evans Leaders Fund plays an important research support role for Canadian universities, helping them to attract and retain top talent — particularly early-career researchers — with the state-of-the-art equipment they need to excel in their field.
"Our scientists need the best tools and equipment for ground-breaking research and discovery and we are committed to ensuring they have them. Their successes will lead to an improved economy and will fuel an active research community here in Canada and internationally.”
– The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science
“Supporting research and innovation is critical to the success of the Canadian economy. I am proud to see the federal government investing in research at institutions like StFX to ensure that small towns and rural communities can play a part in identifying new technologies, scientific developments, and business solutions that will benefit our region and the entire country for the next generation.”
– Sean Fraser, Member of Parliament for Central Nova
“State-of-the-art equipment and facilities play a central role in ensuring the new generation of researchers can make breakthrough discoveries and fuel Canadian innovation,” said Roseanne Runte, President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. “These facilities will also act as magnets for international collaborations and for the recruitment of the best students and post-doctoral fellows from around the world.”
“We are very pleased in the continuing recognition that research at StFX University receives. It¹s through opportunities like the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund that our faculty and student researchers are able to perform ground breaking research, discovering practical approaches to real-world challenges.”
– Dr. Richard Isnor, Associate Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies St. Francis Xavier University
Quick facts
• For 20 years, the CFI has been giving researchers the tools they need to think big and innovate.
• The John R. Evans Leaders Fund helps a select number of exceptional researchers at institutions across the country to conduct leading-edge research by giving them the tools and equipment they need to be or become leaders in their field.
• The total capital funding for this announcement is $40,013,015. An additional $12,003,905 was awarded under the CFI’s Infrastructure Operating Fund to help institutions with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with the acquisition of new infrastructure. The total plus IOF is $52,016,920.
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A full list of the funded projects and stories about the facilities are available online at Innovation.ca. For updates, follow us on Twitter @InnovationCA and subscribe to our YouTube channel for videos about the CFI and its many transformative research projects