Feb 6 2008
Four cutting-edge research projects at the University of Toronto have been awarded $23 million from the Province of Ontario through its Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence program.
“The strong partnerships among our top researchers, global business leaders and government will help provide Ontarians with better healthcare services, new technologies, a cleaner environment and more opportunities for success,” said Minister of Research and Innovation John Wilkinson during a Feb. 5 event held at U of T’s Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.
Specifically, the province is awarding:
- More than $7 million to Warren Chan of U of T’s Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering , a Canada Research Chair in Biotechnology. Chan’s lab is applying advances in nanotechnology to create a portable device that can quickly diagnose whether or not a person has an infectious disease, such as SARS — a first step in better identifying, controlling and containing outbreaks
- More than $3 million to Dimitrios Hatzinakos of electrical and computer engineering. Hatzinakos is developing self-powered, mesh and solar-powered wireless networks that will help make high-speed wireless Internet connectivity more reliable, accessible and affordable in urban and remote areas.
- More than $5 million dollars to Nazir Kherani of electrical and computer engineering. The funding will help boost Ontario’s competitiveness in the global market’s multi-billion dollar solar industry by developing more advanced, efficient solar technologies.
- More than $8 million to Richard Peltier of physics to help address some of the world’s most pressing and complex problems – such as climate change and finding a cure for cancer – by providing researchers with access to state-of-the-art high-performance computing systems.
“We’re delighted to thank the Ontario government for this outstanding support and wonderful vote of confidence,” said U of T President David Naylor. “This new funding not only helps our researchers generate great new ideas, it also helps U of T to attract and retain the brightest research talent from around the world — people who will motivate and inspire Ontario’s next generation of world-class scientists and entrepreneurs in knowledge-based industries.”
U of T’s allocation of $23.3 million for these projects is part of nearly $115 million invested by the government to support 19 research projects across Ontario. The research at universities, institutes and hospitals will receive matching funding from 107 major industrial and other partners.