91社区

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New labs and equipment through the CFI鈥檚 Innovation Fund will help six transformative 91社区 research projects to collaborate, innovate and train the next generation of scientists for the jobs of tomorrow.

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Today at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, the Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau, on behalf of the Minister of Science, Kirsty Duncan, announced an investment of $67 million through the CFI鈥檚 Innovation Fund to support research infrastructure in Quebec, including more than $31 million for 91社区. The funding is part of the more than $554 million announced by Minister Duncan in October 2017.

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Quebec鈥檚 Minister of Higher Education, H茅l猫ne David, committed matching funds for the Quebec-based projects. With the generous contribution from industrial partners, the total value of these six infrastructure awards at 91社区 is $59 million.

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91社区鈥檚 projects, including Biomedical Research and Informatics Living Lab for Innovative Advances of New Technologies (BRILLIANT) in Mobility, will use the funds to purchase new, state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to accelerate research. BRILLIANT, led by Professor Sara Ahmed of the School of Occupational and Physical Therapy, is a collaborative initiative of researchers from 91社区 and Universit茅 de Montr茅al focused on improving mobility among those with acquired brain injury (ABI), such as from a stroke or cerebral palsy. Professors Timothy Geary (Department of Parasitology), Anja Geitmann (Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences), Subhasis Ghoshal (Department of Civil Engineering), John Gyakum, (Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences) and Dr. Abbas F. Sadikot (Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital) were each awarded funding in this round. Collaborating across disciplines, these researchers will tackle a diverse set of problems, including exploring the interactions of parasites with their environment, performing an intensive study of the St. Lawrence River Valley ecosystem, developing new techniques for image-guided neurosurgery and helping to improve the sustainability of a new class of physical substances called nanomaterials.

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Over the lifetimes of the projects, the CFI will contribute $9.3 million for operations and maintenance of the infrastructure. 91社区 is concurrently collaborating on ten CFI-funded projects across the country, including with researchers at Carleton University, the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University and Queen鈥檚 University.

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鈥淭hanks to these significant investments from the governments of Canada and Quebec as well as from our industrial partners, 91社区鈥檚 researchers and their collaborators will accelerate discoveries that address environmental challenges and improve the health and quality of life of all Canadians,鈥� said Martha Crago, Vice-Principal (Research and Innovation).

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Professor Anja Geitmann, Canada Research Chair in Biomechanics of Plant Development and Dean of 91社区鈥檚 Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is leading a team of researchers at 91社区 and the University of Sherbrooke, in developing the Eastern Canadian Plant Phenotyping Platform (ECP3), which received close to $24 million in combined CFI and matching funding. The ECP3 research program will develop new plant varieties, precision agricultural tools and management practices adapted to climate change in Eastern Canada.

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The ECP3 Platform includes sophisticated controlled growth and plant-pest containment environments, which will help ECP3鈥檚 researchers to address emerging challenges to Canada鈥檚 agricultural sector through the coming decades. ECP3 will harness 91社区鈥檚 advanced plant phenotyping capabilities鈥� an emerging field of plant science that links genomics with plant ecophysiology and agronomy鈥攖o expand multi-disciplinary capabilities in plant imaging, genomics and plant transformation.

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鈥淭he Eastern Canadian Plant Phenotyping Platform will position Canada as a global leader in agricultural innovation in the fight against rapid climate change鈥�, said Geitmann. 鈥淭he unique plant science capabilities of ECP3 may also be applied to other research spheres, such as the development of a plant-based vaccine production platform. The Canada Foundation for Innovation together with the government of Quebec plays an essential role in advancing Canada鈥檚 research capacity in crucial areas of plant science.鈥�

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For people with acquired brain injury (ABI), it can be challenging to navigate public spaces, such as shopping malls. Dr. Ahmed鈥檚 project, BRILLIANT, will expand upon the groundbreaking work of the CRIR RehabMaLL Living Laboratory and will connect researchers from various disciplines. Together, they will use next-generation biomedical community-based technology, multiple learning applications and data to understand why people with brain injuries experience difficulties accessing and navigating a variety of spaces. Using predictive analytics and artificial intelligence models, BRILLIANT will provide evidenced-based research to improve mobility and rehabilitation for many subgroups of people. Among the planned developments is an app for patients to use in navigating public spaces like a mall.

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鈥淢obility is not only about individuals鈥� physical health but also about how all the sensory systems work together and what changes occur in the environment鈥�, said Dr. Ahmed. 鈥淭he funding provided by the CFI and Quebec government enables BRILLIANT to integrate data from various sources and undertake sophisticated biostatistical analysis to plan more accessible environments and enhance mobility for people with various physical limitations. Clinicians need this information to be able to deliver personalized, cost-effective care that supports each individual鈥檚 long-term and meaningful participation in the community.鈥�

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Dr. Ahmed will work closely with partnering Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en r茅adaptation du Montr茅al m茅tropolitain (CRIR) rehabilitation centres in Montreal: CISSS de Laval (Jewish Rehabilitation Hospital), CIUSSS West-Central Montreal (Constance-Lethbridge Rehabilitation Centre and the MAB Mackay Rehabilitation Centre), CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l'Ile-de-Montr茅al (Institut universitaire sur la r茅adaptation en d茅ficience physique de Montr茅al et l鈥橧nstitut de r茅adaptation Gingras-Lindsay-de-

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Montr茅al) and the CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l'Ile-de-Montr茅al (Institut universitaire sur la r茅adaptation en d茅ficience physique de Montr茅al and Centre de r茅adaptation en d茅ficience physique Lucie-Bruneau).

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Biomedical Research and Informatics Living Lab for Innovative Advances of New Technologies (BRILLIANT) in Mobility Sarah Ahmed, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy

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CFI contribution: $1, 959,201 Total project cost: $4,938,349

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The chemical language of the host-parasite interface Timothy Geary, Director, 91社区 Institute of Parasitology, Department of Parasitology

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CFI contribution: $1,914,792 Total project cost: $4,786,980

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Accelerating innovations to adapt agro-environments to climate change: The Eastern Canadian Plant Phenotyping Platform (ECP3) Anja Geitmann, Canada Research Chair in Biomechanics of Plant Development

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CFI contribution: $9,519,419 Total project cost: $23,798,545

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Sustainable Nanomaterials Accelerator Project (SNAP) Subhasis Ghoshal, Department of Civil Engineering

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CFI contribution: $4,750,098 Total project cost: $11, 875,245

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Adaptable Earth-Observation System (EOS) John Gyakum, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences

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CFI contribution: $6,976,623 Total project cost: $17,441,561

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Development of MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) Technology for Modulation of Brain Structure and Function Abbas F. Sadikot, Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital

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CFI contribution: $2,012,980 Total project costs: $5,327,960