UVic awarded $12.5 million in research funding

University of Victoria researchers working in areas of critical importance to the Canadian clean energy sector in smart technology and in big data science are among projects awarded federal funding this week.

More than 50 UVic research projects are being supported by a $12.5M investment from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) in the form of grants, supplements, scholarships and fellowships, announced June 23 by Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science. More than 4,000 awards totaling $465M across Canada are the result of the NSERC 2016 competition for the discovery research programs.

Other funded projects include: advancements in verification of security systems based on cryptographic tools; particle physics; “self-healing” concrete that can expand the lifespan of buildings and infrastructures; fuel cell technology; basic mechanisms of human memory, memory of witnessed events and biases in recognition memory; what tree ring data can tell us about the history of snowpack decli#8800; long-distance remote control systems; software to run autonomous vehicles and to manage personalized health care; assessing the role of ocean animals living near hot vent ecosystems around the world; imaging technology to enable new and faster nanoparticle analysis for drug development and cancer research, and more.

The Discovery Grants Program provides operating funds for ongoing programs of research with long-term goals. A complete listing of UVic recipients is available on NSERC’s website.

Three Discovery Accelerator Supplements were also awarded to UVic researchers. This program provides substantial and timely additional resources to accelerate progress and maximize the impact of research programs.

Seven UVic undergraduate and graduate students are receiving support through the NSERC Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships program.