Feds and Ontario renew CIAR funding

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR) will use renewed federal and Ontario funding commitments as leverage to increase the level of private sector support for its evolving suite of interdisciplinary research programs. The new funding will also help the Institute — which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year — to embrace researchers from emerging nations.

The Ontario Budget announced $18 million over five years for CIAR while the federal government has officially committed to $10 million over two years. Federal officials acknowledge that the amount is actually $25 million over five years, matching its last commitment made in 2002.

"We build relationships over the long haul so we need consistent, long-term funding commitments," says Dr Chaviva Hosek, CIAR's president and CEO. "The support from Ontario and the federal government is necessary for our mission and to build up private sector funding."

Private sector support currently equals 25-30% of CIAR's annual budget of $11.5 million. Hosek says the Institute's board will be setting a new, higher level in the near future. In the meantime she is focused on launching a new area of research that recently received board approval.

"The new program is microbial biodiversity. We'll be mapping global biomass at the microbial level," says Hosek. "Ninety-nine per cent of biomass is microbial but little is known about it … This is a discovery and analytical project, a new frontier."

CIAR supports researchers in Canada and 12 other countries, who work together in interdisciplinary teams. While most participating researchers are based in so-called advanced nations, Hosek hopes to expand the mix to include researchers from India, China, Brazil, South Korea and nations from Eastern Europe.

"Their commitments and investments in research are growing. We want to bring in a newer generation of researchers."

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