Canada’s biomanufacturing ecosystem gets major boost with new funding

MONTREAL, May 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is helping the country’s institutions prepare for pandemics and other health emergencies though its Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF). The fund’s goal is to provide researchers with the competitive advantages they need to maintain the prosperity, health and security of Canadians now and in the future.

Today, the Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism, and the Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, announced more than $360 million in funding through the CFI to support the research infrastructure needs of Canada’s biomanufacturing and life sciences sector. She made the announcement at Polytechnique Montréal on behalf of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health. Today’s funding will support 14 infrastructure projects that will contribute to:

• Building Canada’s capacity to identify and monitor pathogens through new technologies and improved processes
• Identifying and addressing bottlenecks and gaps to ensure the country’s biomanufacturing processes are reliable, scalable and adaptable
• Strengthening our collaborative biomanufacturing ecosystem while providing hands-on training across a range of career trajectories and stages
• Researching and developing new vaccines, antibiotics and immune-based therapeutics
• Improving diagnostic testing, including working with marginalized communities to address diagnostic gaps
• Preparing policy and practice to increase public trust in, and access to, safe and effective vaccines and other bioscience innovations.

“We must ensure the health and safety of all Canadians today and in the future,” says Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and CEO of the CFI. “The projects funded through the Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund will play a critical role in our country’s rapid response to future pandemics. This state-of-the-art equipment will be used by academic and private-sector researchers to develop innovative medical interventions and treatments and will help cement Canada’s place as a leader in this growing field.”

This national competition is a partnership with the Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF). New funding through the CBRF was also announced today. The integrated CBRF–BRIF Stage 2 competitions are advancing the goals of Canada's Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy. The first stage of CBRF established five biomedical research hubs across the country in 2022, while Stage 2 focuses on research and talent development projects at those hubs. The research infrastructure projects funded through BRIF are each associated with one of those five hubs. The hubs will provide strategic guidance and training to bioscience professionals. They will also encourage collaboration between institutions and across sectors and will translate research into product development and manufacturing that will benefit Canadians.

Quick facts

• Projects supported through the BRIF will also receive additional funding through the CFI’s Infrastructure Operating Fund (IOF) to cover the costs of operating the research infrastructure. The total investment of $361.5 million includes $83.4 million from the IOF.
• The BRIF is partnered with the CBRF, which is funding research and talent development projects as part of today’s announcement. The CBRF program is administered by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) on behalf of the three federal research funding agencies: SSHRC, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.
• Today’s investment of $574 million includes: $361.5 million through the BRIF and more than $213 million through the CBRF. A total of 19 projects at 14 institutions were awarded funding to support research, talent development or research infrastructure. Learn more about the projects.
• The five research hubs are located at the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, the University of Toronto, the University of Ottawa (co-led by McMaster University) and the Université de Montréal.

Associated links

• More about the Canada Foundation for Innovation
• Details on the CFI’s Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund
• Canada Biomedical Research Fund results
• Funding announcement for first BRIF competition — Funding to upgrade Canada’s biocontainment facilities
• Canada's Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy

About the Canada Foundation for Innovation

With a bold, future-looking mandate, the Canada Foundation for Innovation equips researchers to be global leaders in their field and to respond to emerging challenges. Our investments in state-of-the-art tools, instruments and facilities at universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions underpin both curiosity- and mission-driven research that cuts across disciplines and bridges all sectors. The research infrastructure we fund mobilizes knowledge, spurs innovation and commercialization, and empowers the talented minds of a new generation.

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A full list of the funded projects as well as stories about the facilities we fund are available online at Innovation.ca. For updates, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and X @InnovationCA and subscribe to our YouTube channel to find videos about the CFI and its transformative research projects.

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