Province invests in research and innovation that betters the lives of British Columbians

December 19, 2022

The BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF) has awarded $3.7 million for 13 research projects being led by researchers at the University of British Columbia.

Through the BCKDF, the Government of B.C. is providing more than $4.3 million for projects at the University of British Columbia Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, the University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University and Vancouver Island University in fields such as health, natural resources and technology. Since the creation of the BCKDF in 1998, the Province has invested more than $862 million for over 1,600 research projects.

“Bettering the lives of people through research and innovation is an important part of our StrongerBC Economic Plan and a personal passion of mine,” said Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. “The BCKDF gives students and researchers access to state-of-the-art equipment to develop technologies and innovate in areas like cancer treatments and the fight against climate change, helping improve the way we deliver the services that people rely on.”

“This funding is crucial in the modernization of our universities’ research infrastructure capacity and capabilities, and in advancing the research needed in our province,” said Selina Robinson, Minster of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. “Supported research projects will make a difference in people’s lives and will help British Columbia become future ready.”

Read the announcement and project backgrounders 

UBC-LED PROJECTS (UBCV)

11 projects led by researchers on our Vancouver campus were awarded a total of more than $3.3 million.

  1. Infrastructure for Laboratory Simulations of Interstellar Chemistry UBC lead: Dr. Ilsa  Cook (Chemistry)
  2. RESearch in Physical activity & Exercise with, by, and for hard-to-reach CommuniTies (RESPECT) Collaboratory UBC lead: Dr. Guy Faulkner; Co leads: Drs. Mark Beauchamp and Eli Puterman (Kinesiology)
  3. Facility for the Study of Insect Adaptability and Physiology (FSIAP) UBC lead: Dr. Phillip Matthews; Co leads: Drs. Katie Marshall and Benjamin Matthews (Zoology)
  4. Endometriosis Integrated Pain Laboratory UBC lead: Dr. Paul Yong (Obstetrics & Gynaecology)
  5. Visualizing Immune Cell Activities using Live-cell Imaging and Confocal Microscopy UBC lead: Dr. Jessica Rosin (Dentistry) 
  6. Precision Oncology for Gynecologic Cancers UBC lead: Dr. Jessica McAlpine (Obstetrics & Gynaecology)    
  7. Infrastructure for AI-integrated Point of Care Ultrasound Imaging for Decentralized Healthcare UBC lead: Dr. Ilker Hacihaliloglu (Radiology / School of Biomedical Engineering)
  8. Laboratory for the Advanced Study of Dietary Ecology of Modern and Ancient Organisms UBC lead: Dr. Kendra Chritz (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences )
  9. Computational Infrastructure for Accelerating Quantum Technology UBC lead: Dr. Andrew Potter (Physics and Astronomy)
  10. Integrated Climate Change and Aquaculture System (ICCAS) for Multi-stressor Experiments on Commercial Juvenile Fish UBC lead: Dr. Andrea Frommel (Land and Food Systems)
  11. Infrastructure for the Field-based Investigation of the Impacts of Climate Change on Sedimentary Systems UBC lead: Dr. Mitch D'Arcy (Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences)

UBC-LED PROJECTS (UBCO)

Two projects led by researchers on our Okanagan campus were awarded a total of almost $0.3 million.

  1. Optimization of Electron-beam Facilities for earth materials research UBC lead: Dr. Brendan Dyck (Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences)
  2. Infrastructure for Theoretical and Experimental Iron-sulphor Laboratory at UBC Okanagan UBC lead: Dr. Robert Szilagyi (Chemistry) 

 

UBC’s campuses in Vancouver and the Okanagan are home to some of the world’s leading researchers. Their work expanding knowledge, developing new technologies, formulating solutions to pressing challenges, and training the next generations of talented young people is helping drive innovation across BC’s economy. These investments from the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund will allow UBC researchers to access the infrastructure they need to advance British Columbians’ quality of life by furthering new treatments for disease and approaches to public health, developing knowledge that will improve food security and better prepare B.C. for the effects of climate change and natural disasters, and extending discovery and innovation in cutting-edge technology fields such as quantum computing.

Prof. Deborah Buszard, interim president and vice-chancellor, University of British Columbia (UBC)

 

BC Knowledge Development Funds provide matching funding for UBC awards from the Canada Foundation for Innovation