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Principal Daniel Woolf says the federal budget’s substantial investment in post-secondary research excellence is an acknowledgment of the important role universities play in advancing knowledge and contributing to groundbreaking discoveries that benefit all Canadians.

The new Canada First Research Excellence Fund will invest $1.5 billion over 10 years into research excellence, beginning with $50 million in 2015-’16 and growing to $200 million in 2018-’19 and beyond.

“I am delighted to see this major funding for research at the post-secondary level, which will be of great benefit to our researchers, as well as additional funding that will support our students,” says Principal Woolf. “This just shows what universities are capable of when they are aligned and working together towards a common goal.”

In addition to the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, the budget proposes to provide an additional $46 million per year, beginning in 2014-’15 and on an ongoing basis, to the nation’s granting councils in support of basic research. That funding includes $15 million per year to both the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, $7 million per year to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and $9 million per year to the Federal Indirect Costs of Research Program.

“This commitment to research excellence, particularly through undirected funding to the Tri-Council Agencies, will undoubtedly help Queen’s continue to attract and retain the country’s most innovative researchers,” says Vice-Principal (Research) Steven Liss. “As one of the top-ranked research-intensive universities in Canada, Queen’s will benefit greatly from this investment.”

Other funding announcements in the budget include $8 million to Mitacs in order to expand its Elevate Postdoctoral Fellowship program, and investments in internship and apprenticeship opportunities for students. The TRIUMF physics laboratory, of which Queen's is a member institution, will receive $222 million over five years to support the facility's world-leading research and international partnership activities.