ABOUT US

PROGRAMS & FUNDING

SUCCESS STORIES

NEWSROOM

ADDITIONAL INFO

News Release:
Driving The Innovation Economy At McMaster
Backgrounder:
Strengthening Ontario’s Innovation Economy

Listen to ERA recipient Dr. Brian Coombes, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University

Remarks made during event to announce fourth round funding for MRI’s Early Researcher Awards on July 14, 2008. Read speaker's remarks.

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
July 14, 2008

DRIVING THE INNOVATION ECONOMY AT McMASTER

McGuinty Government Building Ontario’s Innovation-Driven Economy

NEWS

Research aimed at reducing bacterial contamination in food and improving the treatment of hip fractures are two of the eight projects at McMaster that will receive $1,120,000 in funding from the province’s Early Researcher Awards program.

Funding world-class research is part of Ontario’s plan to build an innovation economy.

The researchers include:

Dr. Brian Coombes, who is discovering the link between infectious bacteria and livestock contamination to reduce the rate of food-borne illness in Ontario.
Dr. Mohit Bhandari, who is finding better surgical treatments to reduce the number of complications occurring following hip surgery.
Dr. Andrew Knights, who is creating more powerful silicon chips to handle tomorrow’s mega-information processing needs in optical computing and telecommunications.
Dr. Greg Slater, who is discovering the environmental effects of contaminants in our ecosystem, long after they are out of our sight.

In total, 66 projects across the province worth $9.24 million will receive funding from the Early Researcher Awards program.

The goal of this program is to improve Ontario’s ability to attract and retain the best and brightest research talent from around the world. Today’s investment will ensure that leading Ontario researchers have the resources they need to build their research teams of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, research assistants and associates from across Canada and abroad.

QUOTES

“Today’s investment is an important part of Ontario’s plan to build an innovation-driven economy. We are investing in the people that are pioneering the scientific breakthroughs that will improve healthcare, protect the environment, and ignite growth in the industries that will shape Ontario’s future,” said Minister of Research and Innovation John Wilkinson.

“Communities across Ontario are home to world-class centres of research, scientific discovery and innovation, and Hamilton is no exception. Supporting our world-class researchers is an important part of keeping our province – and our community – at the forefront of an innovation based economy,” said Hamilton-Mountain MPP Sophia Aggelonitis.

“Hamilton is a research and innovation powerhouse where you can find the most academic-industrial partnerships in the province. Today, we are building on this strength and creating opportunities for our up-and-coming researchers to be mentored by many of the brightest scientific minds in the world,” said Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale MPP Ted McMeekin.

QUICK FACTS

The Early Researcher Awards program is an important part of Ontario’s Innovation Agenda, a plan to make innovation the driving force of the provincial economy.
Innovation is part of the McGuinty government’s five-point plan for the economy. The other parts of the plan are: