Dalhousie University: New federal funding positions Dal researchers to be global leaders
The Government of Canada announced new funding Wednesday that will empower Dalhousie researchers to take global leadership in migration and immunology scholarship and to explore emerging ideas that promise to generate the discoveries of tomorrow.
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, unveiled the news at the Canadian Science Policy Conference in Ottawa. As part of the announcement, new Dalhousie Canada Research Chairs (CRC) were named, including Kate Swanson from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Tier 1 CRC in International Peace, Security and Children, and Channakeshava Umeshappa from the Faculty of Medicine, the Tier 2 CRC in Human Immunology and Inflammation.
The federal announcement also included the renewal of Dalhousie CRCs Lam Ho from the Faculty of Science, the Tier 2 CRC in Stochastic Modelling, and Stefanie Colombo from the Faculty of Agriculture, the Tier 2 CRC in Aquaculture Nutrition.
Tier 1 Chairs are awarded to scholars acknowledged by peers as world leaders in their fields. They are appointed for seven-year terms supported with annual $200,000 grants to the university. Tier 2 Chairs hold five-year terms. They are awarded to exceptional emerging researchers regarded as potential leaders. Dalhousie receives $100,000 annually for each of its Tier 2 CRCs, and an additional $20,000 per year for those in their first term.
Also announced today were more than $1 million in Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Development Grants, which support short-term research development projects of up to two years in their initial stages. The grants will enable Dalhousie researchers to pursue new lines of inquiry and experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches, and ideas.
“It is thrilling to see our scholars engaged in research that aims to address some of the world’s biggest challenges. From mass migration and infectious disease to food security and inequality, our researchers are embracing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to guide the impact of their research and are focusing their energy to create a better world,” says Dr. Alice Aiken, Dalhousie’s vice president, research and innovation