February 17, 2004 - 4:00pm
Malaspina University-College has taken another leap forward to becoming a "world class centre" for research.
The university-college will receive $200,000 per year for ten years to fund two Tier II Canada Research Chairs. The award comes from the Canada Research Chairs Secretariat, a federally funded organization committed to strengthening research capacity at Canadian universities.
The award will provide funding for two faculty researchers at Malaspina. The Canada Research Tier II Chairs are intended for researchers who show great promise and who are within 10 years of earning their PhD.
"This award is another great achievement for Malaspina University-College," said president Rich Johnston. "It will allow Malaspina researchers to continue and build upon their solid track record of leading-edge research and innovation."
Dr. David Thomas, vice-president of instruction and research, said it's the first time Malaspina has been eligible to receive funding from the Canada Research Chairs Secretariat.
Institutions are awarded Canada Research Chairs based on the amount of research conducted in the past three years and funded by the three national research councils - the National Science and Engineering Research Council, Canadian Institute for Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
"Our eligibility was triggered by Malaspina having obtained an average of over $100,000 per year for the past three years from the three federal research funding agencies," explained Dr. Thomas. "We're extremely proud of this achievement and owe a great deal to all Malaspina faculty whose successful applications for research funding helped achieve our eligibility."
Funding from the Canada Research Chair Secretariat will cover salary costs for the faculty researchers, student salaries and other costs associated with their research. Malaspina has three years to nominate faculty for the prestigious award. The nominees must submit a research plan to the Canada Research Chairs Secretariat for approval.
According to the Canada Research Chair Secretariat website, there are 2,000 Research Chairs at universities across Canada. Grants are awarded to faculty "who advance the frontiers of knowledge in their fields, not only through their own work, but also by teaching and supervising students and coordinating the work of other researchers."
The Canada Research Chairs Program is part of an overall national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top five countries for research and development.
The Chairs Program helps Canadian universities and their affiliated research institutes and hospitals become "world-class centres" of research and research training.
Malaspina is in competition for a third Tier Two Research Chair, the results of which will be announced in May.
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