University of Victoria (UVic) researchers have been awarded $15.2 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for equipment and instruments to advance research related to medical imaging, climate change and the deep-sea floor.
The Belle II detector at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) in Japan. The CFI-Innovation Fund supports SuperKEKB, the next-generation upgrade that allows an international multi-university community, including UVic, to perform experimental and theoretical research on the structure and function of elementary particles and atomic nuclei. Photo credit: KEK Shota Takahashi
"These investments will augment UVic's world class research in clean energy, particle physics, climate science and ocean observation," says Lisa Kalynchuk, UVic vice-president of research and innovation. "New infrastructure acquired with this funding will accelerate advancements in these areas, equipping UVic researchers to broaden their impact as global leaders in their field."
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, minister of Industry and minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, announced the awards on Friday. CFI's Innovation Fund provides researchers with high-impact research equipment to strengthen Canada's innovation capacity, deliver lasting benefits for Canadians and build economic resilience.
The federal support to UVic includes:
- $2.95 million to the Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technology (CAMTEC) for instruments that will enable breakthroughs in sustainable energy, clean materials research, medical imaging, microscopy, quantum computing and additive manufacturing.
- $2.7 million to the UVic-Genome BC Proteomics Centre for novel tools to study human, animal and plant health and disease, and the impact of climate changes on the environment and wildlife.
- $4.17 million will fund the Canadian-led first section of a large project at Japan's SuperKEKB particle collider. The upgrade will advance precision measurements of subatomic particles for this multi-university international collaboration in the quest to understand the fundamental nature of the universe.
- $1.65 million to upgrade Ocean Networks Canada's NEPTUNE observatory with two power and communication nodes, one of which will bring online the Middle Valley site where three tectonic plates meet. Both will support advanced oceanographic, geophysical, and climate research.
UVic will also benefit from new instruments and equipment through three university partnership initiatives, which will be housed at UVic facilities:
- $2.9 million for sustainable hydrogen energy infrastructure
- $750,000 for high-granularity detectors for the electron-ion collider
- $25,000 for Open Science infrastructure for Canad(ian)a: Digital collections of the future
