UBC Engineering-led projects awarded $6.6M in research infrastructure support 

Research projects led by UBC Engineering researchers will receive $6.6 million in funding support through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s 2020 Innovation Fund competition, the Government of Canada announced today.  

The competition, which funds up to 40 per cent of a project’s eligible infrastructure costs, aims to “[e]nhance and optimize the capacity of institutions and research communities to conduct the proposed research or technology development program(s).”    

The ultimate goal is to “enable global leadership” and to create “social, health, environmental and/or economic benefits for Canadians.” 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced more than $518 million in research infrastructure support for 102 projects at 35 post-secondary institutions and research hospitals across Canada.

“Canada's researchers and scientists are some of the brightest and most skilled in the world," the Prime Minister said in the official release. "Today’s investments will ensure that they have what they need to help us build a Canada that is healthier, cleaner, and more competitive.”

Nine UBC projects were awarded a total of $28.3 million in funding this year. The projects led by UBC Engineering researchers are: 

AM+: Mobilizing Additive Manufacturing for Automotive, Aerospace and Clean Energy 
Warren Poole  
Total CFI Award: $3.0 million  
 
Used-Water to Resources (U-WatR) 
Pierre Bérubé  
Total CFI Award: $1.6 million 
 
Rapid Air Improvement Network (RAIN) 
Steven Rogak and Naomi Zimmerman 
Total CFI Award: $2.0 million 

The project co-led by a UBC Engineering researcher is: 

Mega-Scale Multi-Dimensional Experimental Facility for Enhancing Canada's Infrastructure Resilience 
Lead Institution: University of Toronto 
UBC lead: Sharia Alam