MONCTON (GNB) – The provincial government has partnered with the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation to launch the New Brunswick Innovation Research Chair Initiative to increase the province’s applied research capacity.
The funding will enable up to six research chair positions to be created within priority growth sectors, which include: Value-added food; Value-added wood; Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Industrial fabrication; Biosciences; and Aerospace and defense.
“These research positions will foster greater collaboration between the private sector and academia, with research projects focused on solving technology-related issues,” said Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Jody Carr. “This initiative is an important component of our government's innovation agenda and will help drive the outcomes of the Economic Development Action Plan: Growing Together to rebuild New Brunswick.”
Each research chair will be awarded $200,000 per year for five years to carry out applied research activities with industry. These activities will be exclusively focused on applied research to help private sector companies develop new products and services from intellectual property existing in companies, from intellectual property existing in knowledge institutions or from new intellectual property developed by the research chair and their team.
“These research chairs will show the research community here and across Canada how serious we are about creating all the preconditions needed to grow our innovation-based economy, from doing applied research all the way to investing in new startup companies that spin off from it,” said Robert Hatheway, chair of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation. “With the automatic addition of a foundation-funded research technician and two graduate research assistants in the first year, valued at $95,000, the New Brunswick Innovation Chairs are now at par with the Canada Research Chairs program. We predict that the New Brunswick Innovation Chair will be highly sought after and attract the highest-caliber talent for these new positions in New Brunswick.”
Universities, community colleges and other recognized research institutions in the province are eligible to receive and host an New Brunswick Innovation Research Chair. The institution must commit to a minimum of five-years and provide adequate laboratory and office space and administrative support to the chair holder. Chairholders will also be eligible to apply for other foundation funding under the Research Innovation Fund, the Research Technician Initiative and the Research Assistantships Initiative.
A request for proposals has been launched and institutions have until Jan. 15 to submit a letter of intent. These letters of intent will be vetted by an independent committee comprised of foundation staff and board members, government officials and independent academic and business experts.
“Our government is committed to retaining and attracting highly-skilled individuals, as outlined in our Labour Force and Skills Development Strategy,” said Carr. “This investment in research positions is one way we can attract world class researchers to our province – researchers who will work with our key industries and, in turn, boost our economy and create jobs.”
The following initiatives have already been announced as part of the government's $80 million for innovation funding:
● $12 million, a threefold increase in funding, to university and college researchers to support world-class applied research with a view to commercialization;
● $6 million to increase the availability of research assistants and technicians;
● $7 million to launch a New Brunswick Graduate Scholarship Program to attract, train and retain the talent the province needs to feed its growing innovation-based economy;
● $2 million to increase capacity to recruit and attract leading-edge researchers to the province;
● $7.25 million to create an industry research voucher program aimed at growing innovation and productivity in small and medium-sized enterprises in the province;
● $5 million to launch a new Start-up Investment fund to assist entrepreneurs to develop innovation-based growth companies in New Brunswick;
● $15 million to reinforce the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation's venture capital investment activities aimed at early stage, growth companies in the province;
● $5 million to consolidate the innovation ecosystem through targeted investments in capacity building across the province; and
● $15 million for the Industry Innovation Challenge to identify and support three to six large-scale industry-led research and development initiatives which will grow new markets for the province.
LINK:
● Innovation Research Chairs
31-10-13
