Scientists at UBC’s faculty of medicine are receiving $2.7 million to support COVID-19 research projects through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).
The funding—announced by The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry—is part of $28 million that will support 79 projects at 52 universities and research hospitals, colleges, polytechnics and Cégeps across Canada. The funding covers the urgent need for equipment for ongoing research related to COVID-19.
“Canadian researchers and scientists are helping to protect our health and safety and are key to finding our way out of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Minister Bains said in a release. “With this funding through the Exceptional Opportunities Fund, the Government of Canada is ensuring these talented Canadians have the equipment and tools to support them in their very important work.”
Faculty of medicine-led projects receiving funding include the following:
Project: The ABCD Consortium (“Accelerating Blood and Cardiopulmonary COVID-19 Diagnostics”)
Principal Investigator: Mari DeMarco, clinical associate professor, department of pathology and laboratory medicine
Funding Amount: $502,600
Project: Linking Transmission Metadata to Viral Genotype and Serological Response of COVID-19
Principal Investigator: Mel Krajden, professor, department of pathology and laboratory medicine
Funding Amount: $630,000
Project: Preparing for the Next Wave: Technology to Detect and Analyze SARS-CoV-2
Principal Investigator: Marco Marra, professor, department of medical genetics
Funding Amount: $377,738
Project: Expanding COVID19 structure-based therapeutic development at UBC through enhanced CryoEM and CryoET data acquisition
Principal Investigator: Natalie Strynadka, professor, department of biochemistry and molecular biology
Funding Amount: $1,225,000