August 13, 2007

ONTARIO RESEARCH FUND – RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM

The McGuinty government is helping researchers obtain the tools they need to stay on the forefront of innovation, including lab space, equipment and computer software through the Research Infrastructure program of the Ontario Research Fund. This round of funding under the program will provide $1,085,739 to support six world-class projects in Kingston.

Queen’s University

Overcoming the Barriers to Realising the Full Economic and Environmental Benefit of Fuel Cells for Canada
Improving green technologies to power our future

Lead researcher: Brant Peppley
Total project cost: $800,000
Provincial funding: $205,920

Fuel cells hold the promise of dramatically reducing our greenhouse gas emissions but there are technical challenges that need to be overcome. At the Queen’s-RMC Fuel Cell Research Centre, scientists under the direction of Dr. Brant Peppley are launching two innovative research programs that will help develop the needed technologies. One study is designed to increase the conversion efficiency of biogas to electricity using high temperature fuel cells at landfill and wastewater treatment sites. The second study focuses on improving geographically remote fuel cell power systems, which could provide power in northern Ontario where diesel generators can cause significant environmental damage to sensitive ecosystems. By developing these innovative technologies in Ontario, we can take steps to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and improve our air quality.

600-Mhz Biomolecular NMR Instrument for Studies of Protein-Ligand Interactions Related to Human Health and Biotechnology
Building our understanding of bio-molecular interactions

Lead researcher: Steven Smith
Total project cost: $546,047
Provincial funding: $218,419

Research into protein structures is leading to new discoveries in fields ranging from leukemia to biofuels. At Queen’s University, Dr. Steven Smith and his colleagues will be using new 600-Mhz nuclear magnetic resonance equipment for highly innovative research in the areas of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Other biotechnology-oriented studies will focus on enzymes related to virulent forms of food poisoning and engineered enzymes that could increase the efficiency of biofuel production.

Studies of Novel Semiconductor Spintronics Based on Surface Acoustic Waves
Seeking the key to developing quantum computers

Lead researcher: James Stotz
Total project cost: $650,000
Provincial funding: $260,000

One of the most exciting areas of electronics research is spintronics – where an electron’s spin, rather than its charge, is used to drive faster and more efficient devices. Solving the spintronics riddle will also open the door for quantum computers, which will be able to process complex data more quickly than conventional computers. Dr. James Stotz of Queen’s University is leading a national and international team of collaborators to further develop the spintronics research he began in Germany as a Research Fellow with the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. World-class research in this emerging field at one of Ontario’s top universities holds tremendous potential for commercial spin-offs in partnership with Ontario’s high-tech industry.

Behavioural Properties and Cortical Mechanisms of Cognitive Control
Linking the study of perception, memory, and action

Lead researcher: Daryl Wilson
Total project cost: $287,500
Provincial funding: $115,000

Juggling several tasks in a busy, computerized office or operating a satellite navigation system while driving are just two examples of the demands that our modern lifestyle often places on our cognitive abilities. Such challenges can sometimes make it very difficult to complete a task, especially for individuals suffering from conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, or attention-deficit disorder. In order to better understand such difficulties, Queen’s University Psychologist, Daryl Wilson, is designing a laboratory to explore the extent to which we can select relevant perceptions, retrieve relevant memories, and execute appropriate actions. By combining behavioural research techniques, such as eye-tracking and memory testing with neural imaging,  he and his team will develop a model of cognitive control that spans the research domains of perception, memory, and action.

Perceptual, Social and Cognitive Development in Autism
Turning the laboratory into a welcoming place

Lead researcher: Elizabeth Kelley
Total project cost: $91,000
Provincial funding: $36,400

Autism spectrum disorders, a continuum of disorders affecting an increasing number of children in Ontario, can seriously hinder an individual’s perceptual, social cognitive, cognitive, and linguistic development. These various aspects of the condition have seldom been studied together within the same group of children, which is what Queen’s University psychologist Elizabeth Kelley would like to do. She is acquiring eye-tracking technology and other observational equipment to study children interacting with their families and friends in settings specifically designed to look and feel like home, rather than the less familiar clinical confines of a laboratory. By constructing a research facility in this manner, she intends to approach this complex developmental disorder in a fully interdisciplinary way, sorting out the multi-faceted nature of the difficulties faced by these children, and potential strategies for dealing with them.

An Integrated Approach to Lake Dynamics: Protecting Canada's Aquatic Resources
Assessing threats to our freshwater supplies

Lead researcher: Dr. Leon Boegman
Total project cost: $625,000
Provincial funding: $250,000

The Great Lakes basin contains 20% of the worlds fresh surface water.  However, its quantity and quality are threatened by climate change, invasive species, political pressure for water export and the accumulation of pollutants. Queen’s University researcher Leon Boegman is establishing a group dedicated to understanding the mixing and circulation processes in lakes and their impacts upon water quality and quantity.  Outfitted with field instrumentation, state-of-the-aret laboratory facilities and computer systems capable of virtual lake simulations, he and his team will provide for better management of this threatened resource that is essential for life.

Ontario Research Fund

The McGuinty government is investing $527 million over five years through the Ontario Research Fund. The fund is a key part of the government’s plan to promote scientific excellence by supporting research that can be developed into innovative goods and services that will boost Ontario’s economy. The fund also helps researchers move new ideas from Ontario’s labs to the global marketplace.

The fund provides one window for research funding. Proposals for funding are evaluated through a competitive, peer-review process.

The province matches funding commitments made by the Canada Foundation for Innovation through the Research Infrastructure program. Project funding is shared among the Canada Foundation for Innovation (up to 40 per cent), the province (up to 40 per cent), and the research institutions and industry partners (at least 20 per cent).

For more information about the Ontario Research Fund, please visit www.ontario.ca/innovation.