Alberta announces more than $22M in funding for University of Calgary
The province has announced a $22 million boost in funding for the University of Calgary to support research infrastructure and technology development.
The money comes from Alberta's Research Capacity Program, and will be provided over the course of four years.
The government says the money will help build the facilities and infrastructure needed to support 11 research projects, which will attract new talent and investment to the province.
"These projects are collaborative in nature and some involve participation from researchers at facilities from across Canada," the news release stated.
"The Alberta government’s investment in the University of Calgary leverages close to $170 million allocated for these projects across partner institutions, including the Canada Foundation for Innovation, other participating institutions, non-profit organizations and industry collaborators."
The government says the projects will support leading-edge discoveries in health and wellness, infectious diseases, machine learning, energy storage solutions, clean energy technology, quantum computing, wireless telecommunications and more.
“Transformative research is the engine that will drive diversification forward and power Alberta’s economy for the future," Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation Doug Schweitzer said.
University of Calgary president and vice-chancellor Ed McCauley says the money will help support innovative and game-changing research.
"This funding means a range of research projects in health, science and engineering can take a big step forward," McCauley said in a news release.
The Research Capacity Program helps Alberta’s post-secondary institutions get equipment and research infrastructure.
This new funding is in addition to $4.9 million in Research Capacity Program funding for the U of C’s SMILE-UVI satellite project announced in October 2020.
NDP RESPONDS
Late Mondy afternoon, NDP Advanced Education Critic David Eggen released a statement saying the additional funding was meagre compared to what the UCP has already cut from Alberta post secondary institutions.
“Today’s funding announcement is a fraction of the amount the UCP has cut to post-secondaries across the province," it said.
“The UCP has already cut $87 million from the University of Calgary and $110 million from the University of Alberta with $700 million in planned cuts across the system under their government.
“The best asset for our future is education. If we want to diversify our economy and keep Albertans in the province, we need to be investing in our education system.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.