Research Excellence
We will make a transformative impact
The Front and Centre philanthropic campaign will transform the University of Manitoba. Alumni, donors and the university community have shaped five campaign priorities that will ensure our province’s long-term economic, social and cultural vitality.
As part of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, the U of M is one of only 15 research-intensive universities in Canada, and the only one of its kind in Manitoba. Together, these universities contribute $36 billion to the national economy each year, and drive innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.
However, investment in research at the University of Manitoba lags behind other provinces. Per capita funding for research in Manitoba is significantly less than Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. In fact, the amount invested in research in Manitoba is only one-third of that in Alberta.
Per capita provincial research funding (source: Statistics Canada Science Statistics, 2009/2010 Edition)
Recognizing that research is a cornerstone for tangible development in Manitoba and fundamental to the University’s international reach and reputation, Front and Centre will direct $80 million of new funding towards Research Excellence in Manitoba.
“Research excellence at the University of Manitoba will be enhanced by this funding and accelerate our local and national knowledge economy,” says Digvir Jayas, vice-president (research and international) and Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba.
Forty million dollars will fund the new Research Chairs Program, which will attract and retain some of the world’s most accomplished and promising researchers. The other $40 million, will be earmarked for a dedicated financial reserve that will allow the U of M to maintain and grow its community of researchers long into the future.
Dr. David Barber, Canada Research Chair in Arctic-System Science, associate dean of research in the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources, and head of the CMO project
The Research Excellence pillar will support the University’s strategic research priorities — area’s in which the province is uniquely qualified to lead — like the development of safe, healthy, just and sustainable food systems for northern communities, or the groundbreaking arctic research that will come out of the new Churchill Marine Observatory (CMO).
When it opens in 2017, the CMO will give U of M researcher unprecedented insight into the Arctic ecosystem and how we can protect it when oil spills during extraction and transportation.
Arctic System Science and Climate Change is one of the U of M’s Established Areas of Excellence, and the CMO is a shining example of this Signature Area. “It really confirms the world-class status of our group here,” says Dr. David Barber, Canada Research Chair in Arctic-System Science, associate dean of research in the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources, and head of the CMO project.
Stand front and centre for Research Excellence at the University of Manitoba. Donate now.