New projects led by Faculty of Medicine researchers were awarded funding through the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council’s Discovery Grants and Discovery Accelerator Supplements programs.
A total of 85 new projects were awarded $17.3 million and a further $2.7 million was awarded to 22 UBC researchers through NSERC’s Research Tools and Instruments program.
These awards were announced as part of the Government of Canada’s investment of more than $635 million for research, which also included funding through the Canada Research Chairs Program and SSHRC Insight Grants, Insight Development Grants, Partnership Grants and Partnership Development Grants programs. New projects led by UBC researchers and new and renewed UBC Canada Research Chairs were awarded approximately $48 million of this announced investment.
Discovery Grants Program
The NSERC Discovery Grants program assists in:
- promoting and maintaining a diversified base of high-quality research capability in the natural sciences and engineering in Canadian universities
- fostering research excellence
- providing a stimulating environment for research training
The Discovery Grants program supports ongoing programs of research with long-term goals rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects. These grants recognize the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances. Discovery Grants are considered “grants in aid” of research, as they provide long-term operating funds and can facilitate access to funding from other programs but are not meant to support the full costs of a research program.
The Discovery Accelerator Supplements (DAS) program provides substantial and timely additional resources to accelerate progress and maximize the impact of established, superior research programs.
Faculty of medicine-led projects:
- Alexis Black, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences
Using machine learning to reveal neural mechanisms of word-learning across development
$ 140,000 (5 years) - Anna Blakney, School of Biomedical Engineering
Determining the Effects of Composition and Microfluidic Fabrication Parameters on Lipid Nanoparticle Structure and Function
$ 165,000 (5 years) - Michael Hunt, department of physical therapy
Expanding our ability to assess and modify movement in real-world settings
$ 165,000 (5 years) - John Kramer, department of anesthesiology, pharmacology and therapeutics
The neuroaxis of pain: Peripheral transduction to central integration
$ 200,000 (5 years) - Matthew Lorincz, department of medical genetics
Using PGCLCs as a model system for early germ cell development to characterize the roles of histone marks and their readers in DNA methylation homeostasis and transcriptional regulation
$ 345,000 (5 years) - Seth Parker, department of biochemistry and molecular biology
Interrogating amino acid transport and organelle exchange
$ 150,000 (5 years) - Alexander Rauscher, department of pediatrics
Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Anisotropic Biological Tissues
$ 205,000 (5 years) - Carlos Uribe, department of radiology
Towards personalized medicine with theranostics: quantitative molecular imaging and artificial intelligence
$ 120,000 (5 years)
Research Tools and Instruments Grants
The NSERC Research Tools and Instruments grants foster and enhance the discovery, innovation and training capability of university researchers in the natural sciences and engineering by supporting the purchase of research equipment.
- Alexander Beristain, department of obstetrics and gynecology
Hypoxia Culture Suite
$150,000 - Annie Ciernia, department of biochemistry and molecular biology
Advanced Expansion Microscopy Imaging System for Brain Microglia
$150,000 - Carl de Boer, School of Biomedical Engineering
Ultracentrifugation system for purification of synthetic biology constructs
$100,846