Executive Council
January 12, 2010
The following is being issued at the request of the
Research & Development Corporation:
Research & Development Corporation Invests $2 Million in
Research at Memorial University through Industrial
Research and Innovation Fund (IRIF)
The Research & Development Corporation (RDC), the Crown
corporation for improving research and development
activity and performance in Newfoundland and Labrador,
today announced a $2 million investment in research
projects at Memorial University through the Industrial
Research and Innovation Fund (IRIF). The investment is
being made in 15 research projects in areas including
archaeology, ocean technology, engineering, marine
biology, biochemistry and medicine.
The IRIF investment enables researchers to leverage an
additional $4.2 million from other funding sources,
including the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI),
Canada Research Chairs Program, the Natural Sciences and
Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the
Canadian Institutes for Health Research-Regional
Partnership Program (CIHR-RPP) and others.
"The investment from the Industrial Research and
Innovation Fund supports innovative research at Memorial
University that is relevant to local industry and the
provincial economy," said Glenn Janes, chief executive
officer of the RDC. "Strategic investments in R&D at
post-secondary institutions are essential for attracting
and retaining the best researchers and building the
infrastructure and capacity in support of research and
development in the province."
"The Industrial Research and Innovation Fund is an
important funding resource for research and development
in Newfoundland and Labrador," said Dr. Ray Gosine,
vice-president (research) pro tempore at Memorial
University. "The ability to leverage additional
investment allows a researcher to increase the scale of
their project and improve the quality of their research
through collaboration with key figures at the local,
national and international levels."
One of those researchers is Dr. Daniel MacPhee,
associate professor of reproductive and developmental
biology in the Division of BioMedical Sciences in
Memorial's Faculty of Medicine. Dr. MacPhee is receiving
$158,814 for research that will aid in identifying the
origin, in whole or in part, of some diseases during
human pregnancy, such as preeclampsia.
"In order for such diseases to be resolved in the clinic
or perhaps even be prevented, a better understanding of
how the human placenta develops in the first place is
required. This is our goal," said Dr. MacPhee.
"We will study a signaling molecule and several of its
partner proteins that we believe are critical for
development of the placenta. These molecules may then be
potential future targets for drug development or useful
as "markers" for screening pregnant women who could be
susceptible to such diseases of pregnancy."
Dr. MacPhee's IRIF funding is matched by $158,814 from
the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
He said the provincial funding helps drive
"high-quality" research programs.
That sentiment is echoed by Dr. Craig Purchase,
assistant professor, Department of Biology.
He has been awarded $90,716 in IRIF funding to create a
new fish ecology research laboratory at Memorial. This
leverages $81,456 he has received in funding from the
Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Dr. Purchase said the IRIF funding will allow his
research team to further investigate a number of
ecological, evolutionary and conservation issues.
"Relatively little research is invested into how
populations might adapt to their environments or how
changing environmental conditions would influence both
their ecology and evolution," said Dr. Purchase.
"These are some of the voids my group will make progress
on filling. I am particularly interested in how local
adaptation among populations – within the same species –
influence productivity of that species as a whole. Most
of our research would be impossible without the support
of IRIF, as the equipment necessary to collect these
data would not be accessible."
The Industrial Research and Innovation Fund was
established by the Government of Newfoundland and
Labrador in 2004 to build R&D capacity in Newfoundland
and Labrador's post-secondary institutions and other
not-for-profit research facilities that support research
and development, innovation and commercialization in
areas relevant to industry and the local economy. In
April 2009, the Provincial Government transferred
administration of the fund to the Research & Development
Corporation.
About IRIF
The Industrial Research and Innovation Fund has three
elements for post-secondary institutions and other
not-for-profit research facilities that support research
and development, innovation and commercialization in
Newfoundland and Labrador:
LeverageR&D:
leverages the incremental R&D investments from
regional, national, and international sources by
matching financial contributions from public and/or
private sources.
IgniteR&D: supports new researchers with the
goal of increasing capacity in R&D, innovation and
commercialization in areas relevant to both industry
and the provincial economy where applicants are not
eligible for LeverageR&D.
CollaborativeR&D: promotes collaborative
research and research initiatives among industry and
academia.
About the Research &
Development Corporation
The Research & Development Corporation is a Provincial
Crown corporation that was established to improve
Newfoundland and Labrador's R&D performance. The
Research & Development Corporation operates at arm's
length from government but with responsibility for
providing advice and leadership within government. The
RDC works with R&D stakeholders including industry,
academia and government agencies and departments. For
more information about the RDC go to
www.researchnl.com.
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Media contacts:
Libby Carew
Director, Marketing
Research & Development Corporation
709-758-0973, 728-6852
libbycarew@researchnl.com |
Jeff Green
Communications Co-ordinator
Office of the Vice-President (Research)
Memorial University
709-737-4073, 687-9243
jeffg@mun.ca
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BACKGROUNDER
IRIF Research Projects
LeverageR&D: This
program element leverages incremental R&D investments
from regional, national and international sources by
providing investments toward eligible costs of a
specific project proposal.
Canada Research Chair in Ocean Technology: Dr.
Ralf Bachmayer, Faculty of Engineering and Applied
Science, Memorial University
The RDC is investing $447,255 towards Dr. Bachmayer's
research on the autonomous operations of underwater
vehicles in extreme environments such as the Canadian
Arctic. This Canada Research Chair focuses on two
research areas: under-ice operations and advanced
autonomous underwater sampling techniques. Dr.Bachmayer
was awarded $500,000 from the Canada Research Chairs
program and $192,944 from the Canada Foundation for
Innovation (CFI).
Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development:
Drs. Matthew Rise and Kurt Gamperl, Ocean Sciences
Centre, Memorial University
Drs. Rise and Gamperl are receiving $183,050 from IRIF
to support the $938,744 funding awarded from Genome
Canada. Their research involves the discovery of several
thousand Atlantic cod genes, the identification of
sequence differences in these genes between individual
fish, and the use of functional genomic experiments
(e.g., using DNA microarrays) to identify the genes
involved in the production of relevant traits such as
resistance to pathogens and environmental stress.
300 MHZ NMR Spectrometer for Multinuclear Experiments:
Dr. Christopher Kozak, Department of Chemistry, Memorial
University
Dr. Kozak is receiving $124,125 towards the purchase of
an NMR Spectrometer that will be used for conducting
experiments with a wide range of nuclei. This instrument
will become a part of the Centre for Chemical Analysis,
Research and Training (C-CART) which is a satellite of
Memorial University's campus-wide Core Research
Equipment and Instrument Training Network (CREAIT). This
leverages a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council (NSERC) award of $150,000.
Fish Ecology Research Laboratory: Dr. Craig
Purchase, Department of Biology, Memorial University
The RDC has supported Dr. Purchase's research with an
IRIF award of $90,716 to establish a new fish ecology
research laboratory in the Biology Department at
Memorial University. This leverages $81,456 in funding
from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).
Canada Research Chair in Health Promotion and
Community Development: Empowering Lives by Promoting
Healthy Communities: Dr. Martha Traverso-Y'pez,
Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
Dr. Traverso-Y'pez's research seeks to identify ways to
enhance the capacity of existing organizational networks
to achieve a cooperative relationship between available
health promotional services and the community. The
$100,000 IRIF award leverages the $500,000 in funding
from the Canada Research Chairs program.
Viruses and Movement of Genes Between Bacteria:
Dr. Andrew Lang, Department of Biology, Memorial
University
Dr. Lang's project, in collaboration with the Broad
Institute and the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, is
generating genomic and metagenomic resources to further
advance the study of marine ecosystems and evolutionary
processes. The IRIF award of $9,225 is being used to
leverage the $9,225 committed by the Broad Institute and
the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation to this project.
Digital Content Infrastructure for the Human and
Social Sciences: Lorraine Busby, Library Sciences,
Memorial University
Ms. Busby has been awarded $309,526 to participate in
the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) to
acquire a critical mass of digital text, data, images,
visual and sound content from international and domestic
publishing sources in the human and social sciences
disciplines for Canadian researchers. The IRIF award
leverages $309,526 from the Canada Foundation for
Innovation (CFI). Memorial University is also supporting
this project for $154,763.
Understanding the Past to Build the Future: Dr.
Lisa Rankin, Department of Archaeology, Memorial
University
Dr. Rankin has been awarded $250,000 to leverage
$999,935 in funding from the Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) program,
Community-University Research Alliances (CURA). Dr.
Rankin's research will provide Labrador Metis with
greater knowledge of their past so that they may
successfully confront current and future economic,
educational and social challenges.
The following research projects were approved under
the memorandum of understanding with the Canadian
Institute for Health Research-Regional Partnership
Program. Under this MOU, RDC co-funds 50/50 on projects
approved within CIHR-RPP.
The Origin of Creatine in Milk and the Regulation of
its Synthesis During Lactation: Dr. Simon Lamarre,
Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University
Dr. Lamarre is receiving $22,500 to conduct research to
determine the origin of creatine in milk and understand
the regulation of its synthesis in lactating females, as
creatine plays a crucial role in the brain development
of newborns. This IRIF funding is matched by $22,500
from CIHR-RPP.
The Influence of Neonatal Diet on the Epigenetic
Status of the Pig Genome: Dr. Mark T. Collins,
Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University
Dr. Collins has been awarded $11,000 to continue his
research on the effect of periods of poor nutrition
during fetal development and the long-term health
consequences for adults. This IRIF funding is matched by
$11,000 from CIHR-RPP.
The Role of Integrin-Linked Kinase in Human
Trophoblast Cell Differentiation and Function: Dr.
Daniel MacPhee, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
Dr. MacPhee is receiving $158,814 for research that will
aid in identifying the origin, in whole or in part, of
some pregnancy-associated diseases thought to result
from abnormal trophoblast development and could lead to
the development of a specific blood test that could
identify patients at risk of such diseases. This IRIF
funding is matched by $158,814 from CIHR-RPP.
A Beta-Adrenoceptor Mediated Memory Circuitry in
Rats: Dr. Qi Yuan, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial
University
Dr. Yuan has been awarded $119,073 to conduct research
that involves a deeper understanding of the memory
mechanism in animal models. This research has
implications for the treatment of memory dysfunction in
Alzheimer's disease and other age-related disorders,
which significantly affect quality of life of millions
of people. This IRIF funding is matched by $119,073 from
CIHR-RPP.
Investigation of the HLA Class II Antigen
Presentation Pathway in Estrogen Receptor Negative and
Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Carcinoma: Dr.
Ahmed Mostafa, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University
Dr. Mostafa is receiving $22,500 to conduct a study that
will improve our understanding of how a tumor cell can
be altered to stimulate an effective immune response and
consequently, aid in developing new approaches to breast
cancer treatment. This IRIF funding is matched by
$22,500 from CIHR-RPP.
IgniteR&D: This program element is intended to
establish new R&D capacity in support of research and
development, innovation and commercialization in areas
relevant to both industry and the economy of
Newfoundland and Labrador.
Autonomous Oceans Systems – Research in Design,
Navigation and Control: Dr. Ralf Bachmayer, Faculty
of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University
Dr. Bachmayer has been awarded $93,500 to research and
develop novel autonomous platforms and solutions for
existing platforms to explore, monitor and exploit the
ocean and ocean floor in areas that are currently hard
or impossible to access year-around, such as the
Labrador Shelf or the Canadian Arctic.
Computational Climatology Laboratory: Dr. Joel
Finnis, Department of Geography, Memorial University
Dr. Finnis has been awarded $50,000 to establish and
operate a computational laboratory dedicated to the
collection, synthesis, and interpretation of a wide
range of climate and weather data, with an emphasis on
understanding climate processes affecting Newfoundland
and Labrador.
2010 01 12
10:35 a.m.
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