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The Heart and Stroke Foundation has made an unprecedented commitment to support 19 of Canada’s leading research institutions, including Queen’s University.

The foundation’s newly formed Research Leadership Circle will make a $300-million, multi-year commitment to fund heart and stroke research at Canada’s leading research institutions. The move will support the organization’s goal of reducing Canadians’ rate of death from heart disease and stroke by 25 per cent by the year 2020.

“The Heart and Stroke Foundation plays a key role in supporting crucial research around cerebro- and cardiovascular diseases,” says Vice-Principal (Research), Dr. Steven Liss. “This funding commitment will ensure that our researchers can continue their work of deepening our understanding of the causes of these diseases that lead to debilitating and life threatening conditions, as well as in the development of better treatments and prevention for them.”

As a member of the Research Leadership Circle, HSF will guarantee that through the end of 2022, the level of funding received by Queen’s in peer-reviewed research grants to support heart and stroke research and education will be a minimum of $15 million. Since 1952, the Foundation has provided more than $1.35 billion to heart and stroke research – second only to the federal government. This is the first time it has made an up-front commitment to support long-term research planning.

“The Heart and Stroke Foundation has been the major funder of cardiovascular research in Canada for the past 60 years,” says Dr. David Lillicrap, a professor in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine. “This 10 year initiative will guarantee the allocation of $300 million of peer-reviewed funding to 19 Canadian research institutions, including Queen’s University. In aggregate, these changes to the cardiovascular research landscape promise to invigorate what is already a world class enterprise.”

To learn more about the Research Leadership Circle, visit: