August 13, 2007

EARLY RESEARCHER AWARD PROGRAM

Through the Early Researcher Award program, the McGuinty government is helping promising, recently appointed Ontario researchers undertake cutting-edge research and build their research teams of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and research associates. Researchers each receive a $100,000 award through the program.

University of Guelph

Dr. Nina Jones A leading cause of kidney failure is injury to the basic blood filtration unit of the kidney. University of Guelph researcher Dr. Nina Jones, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, is investigating the mechanisms that underlie the structure and function of the kidney’s filtration barrier. This basic research will help to identify new molecular targets for therapies to combat kidney disease - and point Ontario’s pharmaceutical industry in the direction of new approaches.

Early Researcher Award

The Early Researcher Award program is a $51-million, five-year initiative. This program is a key component of the province's research and innovation strategy, which aims to strengthen Ontario's economic advantage by helping to attract, retain and develop the best and brightest researchers.

Each award to a leading researcher is a maximum of $100,000 and must be matched by an additional $50,000 from the researcher’s institution and/or a private sector partner. In addition, up to $40,000 in indirect costs is provided to the institution. The award must be used to cover the eligible expenses of graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and research associates, including:

• Salaries and benefits
• Travel and expenses related to conferences, workshops or seminars
• Travel and expenses related directly to offsite research activities.

For more information about the Early Researcher Award, please visit www.ontario.ca/innovation.