Government of Canada Invests Over $48 Million for Strategic Partnerships in Science and Engineering

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 1, 2016) -

The Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan, today announced more than $48 million in federal funding for 76 research teams across the country - through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council's (NSERC) Strategic Partnership Grants. Together, discovery and innovation help create clean jobs, grow our economy, and protect our environment.

The announcement was made at Ryerson University, where one of this year's recipients - a team led by Dr. Bala Venkatesh - is making it easier and cleaner to store energy. Dr. Venkatesh's team of 27 researchers is part of the NSERC Energy Storage Technology Network (NEST), and will use its $5 million investment to create more reliable, environmentally responsible, and efficient technologies for storing energy - an essential technology for the global transition to clean energy.

These partnerships demonstrate the rich diversity of Canada's research and innovation ecosystem. Through initiatives like these, knowledge is being translated into practical applications to improve our wealth, wellness and well-being. Before making the announcement, Minister Duncan also had the opportunity to meet with researchers and was given a tour of the NEST facilities.

Quotes

"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to congratulate Dr. Venkatesh and all of today's recipients. This support represents a big investment in connecting our country's talented scientists and engineers with industry."

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science

"Strategic Partnerships connect companies and governments with Canada's brain trust to advance research in areas where we can be a world leader. By accessing deep research expertise, these collaborations can help provide tangible outcomes to solve fundamental societal and economic issues."

Dr. B. Mario Pinto, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

"Ryerson University is truly honoured to have been awarded the Strategic Partnership grant for the NSERC Energy Storage Technology (NEST) Network. Leading a network of 15 universities and many industry partners across Canada, our researchers will explore innovative energy storage technologies and their impact on our electricity system. The network will enable direct progress - without duplication of efforts - towards a strong domestic energy storage industry while benefiting consumers and helping make Canada a world leader in clean energy."

Dr. Bala Venkatesh, Academic Director, Centre for Urban Energy at Ryerson University

Quick Facts

- The Strategic Partnerships connects universities, businesses, and government organizations in research collaborations.

- This round of Strategic Partnership Grants comprises two research networks and 74 projects across Canada. The competition focused on four areas: environmental science and technologies; information and communications technologies; manufacturing; and natural resources and energy.

Associated Links

- Full list of Recipients

- Strategic Partnership Grants Overview

- Ryerson University

- NSERC 2020

- NSERC Funding Dashboard: Where we invest and why

About NSERC

NSERC invests over $1 billion each year in natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. Our investments deliver discoveries, valuable world-firsts in knowledge claimed by a brain trust of over 11,000 professors, world-leading researchers in their fields. Our investments enable partnerships and collaborations that connect industry with discoveries and the people behind them. Researcher-industry partnerships established by NSERC help inform R&D, solve scale-up challenges and reduce the risks of developing high-potential technology.

Our investments provide scholarships and hands-on training experience for the next generation of science and engineering leaders in Canada, more than 30,000 post-secondary students and post-doctoral fellows.