Federal Minister of State (Transport) Stephen Fletcher and Member of Parliament Mark Adler (York Centre) were on hand to celebrate the University of Toronto researchers and students who will benefit from more than $42-million provided through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
The celebration was held on July 27 in the atrium of the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.
The funding is part of a $411-million committed by the federal government to support research through grants and scholarships. This announcement comprises the 2011 competition results for NSERC’s Discovery Grants, Discovery Accelerator Supplements, Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships programs.
Among those benefiting from the grants is Professor Milos Popovic of the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, whose research focuses on spinal cord injuries.
Professor Popovic develops neuroprosthetics, which interfaces the brain, the nervous system and muscles, to allow individuals suffering from paralysis to regain use in their extremities. “We are trying to help individuals who are paralyzed regain functions such as standing, grasping, walking and reaching out,” explained Professor Popovic, who will receive $420,000 under NSERC’s Discovery Grants and Discovery Accelerator Supplements programs.
“The funding from NSERC will allow Dr. Popovic to take his studies in spinal research to the next level. To push the boundaries. You can see that he is already at the edge, but this funding will take it further and have positive impacts,” said Professor Peter Lewis, Associate Vice President of Research for the University of Toronto.
Minister Fletcher, who himself was left a quadriplegic after hitting a moose while driving in northern Manitoba, said that Professor Popovic’s research is of substantial importance to the 36,000 people in Canada who have spinal cord injuries.
“By allowing people with spinal cord injuries to utilize the muscles they have to do functions that may not have been possible before, that certainly will improve the lives of many people,” said Fletcher.
Professor Popovic explained this funding from NSERC is important for two reasons. First, it provides support for students, which are critically important to supporting his research. Second, these grants allow Professor Popovic to redirect funds to permit exploration in new directions. He explained that unlike targeted grants that support specific experiments, the NSERC Discovery Grants allow Professor Popovic and his students to identify new priorities based on their discoveries. “You can experiment within the experiment,” he explained.
Professor Popovic is one of 158 professors at U of T who will benefit from this announcement, including 47 principal investigators from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. A complete list of recipients from U of T is available online . Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will benefit from additional scholarships.
Fletcher concluded by challenging U of T researchers and students to continue to find new solutions to pressing challenges. “Regardless of whether you are in politics, in research or a student, we all want to make the lives of our fellow citizens better,” he said.
