Today five University of Saskatchewan researchers were awarded grants totaling $333,044 through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) New Opportunities Fund.

The grants will back a wide range of research that could yield tools to help clean up environmental contaminants, develop better computer chips and software, fight disease-causing parasites, and yield new and improved durum
wheat varieties.

"The projects supported by this round of CFI funding highlights the scope of scientific research here at the University of Saskatchewan," says Vice-President Research Steven Franklin.

"We enjoy a vibrant, interdisciplinary environment, one that fosters ideas and innovation."

The five latest recipients and their CFI New Opportunities Fund grants are:

• Curtis Pozniak (Crop Development Centre) receives $67,600 to purchase equipment and support research into the development of molecular tools for breeding durum wheat varieties with enhanced quality characteristics.
   

• Nadeem Jamali (Computer Science) receives $60,000 to develop a Hierarchical Peer Grid facility to help develop technologies for organizing the way computerized devices connect to one another in new "smart" environments.
   

• Neil Chilton (Biology) receives $63,444 to develop a molecular systematics and mutation scanning facility for parasitology. This research will help in the detection and identification of parasites, and lead to better treatment  and surveillance strategies of these organisms.
   

• Jian Yang (Pharmacy and Nutrition) receives $62,000 to investigate how pentachlorophenol (PCP), a major North American environmental pollutant, is degraded by microorganisms like the soil bacterium Sphingomonas chlorophenolica. The research will help provide guidelines for developing more efficient enzymes to clean up PCP contamination.
   

• Michael Bradley (Physics and Engineering Physics) receives $80,000 to use plasma implantation technology in the development of advanced photonic materials. His research could lead to the development of the optical equivalent of computer chips.

CFI will provide up to 40 per cent of the total $880,283 in funding for the research projects, with the balance to be made up from other partners.

With this funding, the U of S is eligible for an additional $99,913 from the CFI's Infrastructure Operating Fund, which contributes to operating and maintenance costs associated with CFI projects.

"These awards will enable researchers to perform cutting-edge work in Saskatchewan," says Dr. Eliot Phillipson, President and CEO of the CFI. "Today's announcement represents what the CFI is all about: providing the tools to institutions and researchers so that they can do the leading edge research that will benefit all Canadians."

In total, $23.7 million was awarded under the New Opportunities Fund to 32 universities in every region in the country.

A complete list of New Opportunities Fund projects, by university, can be found at:  www.innovation.ca.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation is an independent corporation created in 1997 by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure. The CFI's mandate is to strengthen the ability of Canadian universities,
colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that will benefit Canadians.