OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 13, 2012) - The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology, today announced 70 new recipients of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships. These awards are given each year to elite postdoctoral researchers from across Canada and around the world, providing them with the support they need to conduct world-class research.

"The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are Canada's most prestigious awards for postdoctoral researchers," said Minister of State Goodyear. "These internationally competitive awards allow our country to retain and attract some of the best and brightest researchers in the world, thereby building Canada's economic and competitive edge."

"The Banting fellows are among the world's most creative, inspired, and talented researchers," said Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq. "Their work holds the promise of exciting new knowledge and new discoveries that could help improve our health care system in Canada."

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships program ensures that Canadian postdoctoral researchers have the support they need to succeed at home and abroad. The program awards 70 new fellowships per year, each valued at $70,000 annually, for up to two years.

The funding is delivered through the three federal granting agencies - the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The fellowships are named in memory of Sir Frederick Banting, the Canadian physician, researcher, Nobel laureate, and war hero who, together with his assistant Dr. Charles Best, is credited with the discovery of insulin.

"The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships make Canada a destination of choice for the world's top postdoctoral researchers," said Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR, on behalf of the three federal research granting agencies. "Through this program, we are supporting the research leaders of tomorrow - individuals who have the potential to make significant contributions to Canada's social and economic well-being."

For Canadian recipients, as many as 25 percent (of the 70 total fellows) will be eligible to go to a foreign research institution for their postdoctoral placements, helping them establish worldwide networks early in their career and raising awareness of Canadian research excellence.

The next Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships competition is now underway with applications being accepted until November 1, 2012.

For a complete list of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellows, please visit: http://banting.fellowships-bourses.gc.ca/about-a_propos/fellows-boursiers-eng.html

Since 2006, the Harper Government has invested nearly $8 billion in initiatives supporting science, technology and the growth of innovation firms in Canada, including $5 billion for advanced research, education and training; $2 billion for post-secondary infrastructure; and $1 billion for applied research and financing. This funding has helped to make Canada a world leader in post-secondary education research and to create the knowledge and highly skilled workforce that are required for a more prosperous economy.

Backgrounder

Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships

Canada is building world-class research capacity by recruiting top-tier postdoctoral trainees at an internationally competitive level of funding.

The objective of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program is to attract and retain world-class postdoctoral talent, develop their leadership potential and position them for success as the research leaders of tomorrow. The program will help these researchers positively contribute to Canada's economic, social, and research-based growth through a research-intensive career.

The fellowships are administered by Canada's three research granting agencies - the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

These prestigious two-year fellowships, each worth $70,000 per year, are open to both Canadian and international researchers who have recently completed a PhD, PhD-equivalent, or health professional degree. Seventy fellowships are awarded each year. As many as 25 percent of the Canadian recipients are eligible to go to a foreign research institution for their postdoctoral placements, helping them establish worldwide networks early in their careers and raise awareness of Canadian research excellence.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program is unique in its emphasis on the synergy between applicants and research institutions. As such, applicants for a Banting postdoctoral fellowship must apply in close collaboration with the university or other eligible research institution at which they would hold the fellowship.

Research institutions hosting these applicants must demonstrate their commitment to the applicant's success through institutional research priorities, a supportive research environment and professional development opportunities.

Researchers applying for the fellowships must demonstrate exceptional research results and be recognized as emerging leaders in their fields. Emphasis is placed on the candidate's potential to launch an international-level, research-intensive career. Only the highest-level researchers are considered for this award.

Successful applicants for the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program are selected on the basis of three criteria:

• research excellence and leadership in their area of expertise or research;
• quality of the applicant's proposed research program; and
• institutional commitment and demonstrated synergy between applicant and institutional strategic priorities.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program was launched in 2010, making this the second year fellowships are awarded. A third Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships competition is currently open and applications will be accepted until November 1, 2012. The next competition is expected to be launched in August 2013.

For a list of this year's Banting Postdoctoral Fellows, please visit the Bantings website (www.banting.fellowships-bourses.gc.ca)