VICTORIA – New Democrat MLAs Murray Rankin and Grace Lore say that research funding for the University of Victoria (UVic) will drive innovation through our economy by creating jobs for people, protecting our environment, and supporting the advancement of a stronger healthcare system.
“The faculty, staff, and students at UVic have some of the brightest minds in our province and the BC Knowledge Development Fund will support their incredible work to learn more about the world around us,” said Murray Rankin, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head. “These investments will strengthen collaboration, bring in world-class researchers, and support important scientific endeavours as we work to build a cleaner and healthier province.”
“As a former UVic instructor, I know how passionate the UVic community is about improving lives in B.C. and around the world,” said Grace Lore, MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill. “I am proud that researchers and scientists here in Victoria will have access to state-of-the-art equipment as they work to confront some of the greatest global challenges of our time.”
UVic is receiving $535,000 as part of the BC Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF), to support state-of-the-art equipment, facilities, and laboratories that are essential for research. The funding will support three projects:
- Advanced functional materials laboratory: Making the future bright – This project unites chemistry and physics to address urgent global challenges from solar energy efficiency to better X-ray devices. Researchers hope to discover new materials for solar energy technologies without using toxic heavy metals. The aim is to develop solar energy technologies that are cheaper and safer to produce and more efficient at energy harvesting.
- What are the links between nutrients, fertility and aging? This project aims to better understand how to delay and slow the progression of age-related deterioration. Aging is characterized by cellular deterioration that underlies a myriad of changes, and old age is the greatest risk factor for many diseases. Researchers are investigating signalling pathways and molecular mechanisms that are involved in coordinating metabolism, reproduction and longevity.
- Community-led nature-based solutions for water – This project aims to support communities in learning, engaging, and acting to use nature-based solutions for water conservation and restoration to support both ecological and human health. The research includes eco-technologies for nature-based water reuse, water-quality monitoring and supporting communities in water management.
This is part of a total investment of $25 million to support 34 post-secondary research projects at five universities across the province.
This new research equipment will help universities to attract world-class talent and develop solutions for real-world problems in fields such as health and life sciences, information and communication technologies, social sciences and humanities, clean technology, and natural resources.
Over the last four fiscal years, the BCKDF has awarded more than $154 million to 255 infrastructure research projects.
MLAs Rankin and Lore say supporting this cutting-edge research is part of the BC New Democrat’s plan to rebuild and grow our economy. We’re equipping our universities to enhance productivity and competitiveness, and to generate new businesses and jobs for people through commercialization and partnerships with industry.
John Horgan and the New Democrat government are working hard to build a more sustainable, inclusive, and innovative economy for people and communities throughout B.C.
Learn more: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021JERI0048-001595