Backgrounder
January 9, 2007
ONTARIO RESEARCH FUND
Under the Ontario Research Fund (ORF), the McGuinty government is investing a total of $550 million to provide Ontario's researchers with operating, overhead and capital funding to support leading-edge research and development in Ontario's universities, colleges and hospitals.
The ORF is made up of two streams: the Research Excellence program funds project operating costs, such as researchers' salaries, and the Research Infrastructure program supports the acquisition of new research infrastructure, such as lab equipment.
The fund is a key part of the government's plan to move research from the lab to the marketplace. Through the ORF, the McGuinty government is making sure Ontario researchers have the resources to lead our province into a new era of innovation.
The ORF is designed to provide Ontario's research community with one window for research funding. Funding is focused on priority sectors:
- Agriculture
- Energy systems and technologies
- Environmental technologies
- Information and communications technologies
- Life sciences
- Materials and advanced manufacturing
- Emerging technologies.
Through the ORF, the province matches the funding commitment made by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Project funding is shared among the CFI (up to 40 per cent), the province (up to 40 per cent), and the research institutions (at least 20 per cent).
For a complete list of awards and a detailed breakdown of the funding under this round of the ORF, please visit http://www.ontario.ca/innovation.
