Ontario government funds 35 research infrastructure projects across province

$103 million in latest round

The Ontario government has announced more funding targeting research infrastructure and talent as it considers the optimal time for releasing its research and innovation strategy before this October's provincial election. More than $103 million for 35 projects was awarded under the Ministry of Research and Innovation's (MRI) Ontario Research Fund's Research Infrastructure (ORF-RI) program and three sets of awards have been unveiled as part of dual strategy of celebrating and retaining world class talent (see story below).

The ORF-RI, along with the ORF – Research Excellence (ORF-RE) program, has been allocated $527 million over five years, with $252 million going to ORF-RI and $275 million to ORF-RE. The latest ORF-RI projects bring the total awards under the program to $234 million since it was launched in 2004. ORF-RE has already announced one round of funding worth $115 million.

ORF-RI is a successor to the previous government's Ontario Innovation Trust which was scrapped after the provincial auditor cited it for for lack of accountability and oversight. However, ORF-RI projects are funded according to a similar formula and for the same purpose — to match awards made to Ontario institutions by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). ORF-RI matches CFI's 40% contribution to a project's costs, with the remainder coming from the institution where the project is situated.

"The CFI makes its decisions and the ORF does its review but it would be inaccurate to say there's a one hundred percent correlation between the two," says MPP John Wilkinson. Parliamentary secretary to MRI minister Dalton McGuinty. "We're moving in our own strategic direction."

Not surprisingly, Toronto received the majority of the awards in the latest round — $44.8 million in funding or 43.4% of the total (see chart).

top 3 awards

The largest award in the latest ORF-RI round was $10 million, made to St Joseph's Healthcare for a $27.2-million project in biomedical hybrid imaging technology. Close behind was a $20.6-million project at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto to create a Centre for the Study of Complex Childhood Diseases. The ORF-RI's share was $8.2 million. McMaster Univ was the recipient of the third largest ORF contribution ($7.8 million) to help fund a new Centre for Microbial Chemical Biology.

provincial strategy complete

Work is now complete on the Ontario Research and Innovation Strategy and the government is considering the opportune time for its release. Wilkinson, who led the strategy's consultations earlier this year, says the document will provide a "look through the prism of seeking to commercialize" and will balance both fundamental and targeted research needs.

"It's a symbiotic relationship. The knowledge-based economy does not see it as an either-or situation," he says. "The strategy will be released prior to the election in October. It's ready to roll but right now it's a timing issue."

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