Christophe Guy, Dean of Research and Innovation at École Polytechnique, is delighted by the CFI's $596,995 investment in support of the work of three newly recruited faculty members. Gregory Patience, a professor with the Department of Chemical Engineering, obtained funding for his project entitled "Breakthrough Technologies in Alkane Functionalization: Achieving Higher Product Yields and Enormous Economies of Scale in Fluidized Bed Reactor Systems." Professors Jose Fernandez of the Department of Computer Engineering and Nathalie de Marcellis-Warin of the Department of Mathematics and Industrial Engineering received support for their project, "Infrastructure for Research in Information Systems Security."

The research projects, which are also funded by the Québec Ministry of Education, Sport and Leisure and various industrial partners, have been respectively valued at $562,079 and $999,815. Through its New Opportunities Fund (NOF), the CFI currently supports 16 projects led by Polytechnique professors -- projects that also receive government and industry support, bringing the total investment to $18.4 million.

"This funding gives fresh impetus to research at École Polytechnique," said Dr. Eliot Phillipson, President and CEO of the CFI. "It allows Canada to recruit and retain high-calibre researchers and offer Canadian graduate students state-of-the-art facilities in a world-class infrastructure."

Accompanied by Reg Alcock, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board, and on behalf of David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry, the CFI announced today in Winnipeg a new $18.6-million investment. The CFI Board of Directors approved the investment through two funds: $14.3 million under the NOF, and $4.3 million under the Infrastructure Operating Fund, which assists universities with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with new infrastructure projects.

Today's announcement marks the end of the NOF, which has helped attract more than 3,000 researchers to Canada since its creation in 1998. It is being replaced by the new Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF), which will build on the successes of the NOF, the Canada Research Chairs Infrastructure Fund and the CFI Career Awards. With a budget of over $300 million to be disbursed between 2006 and 2010, this new program will continue to assist Canadian universities in attracting world-class faculty and retaining the very best of today and tomorrow's leading researchers within Canada.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation is an independent organization created to fund research infrastructure. The CFI's mandate is to strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians.

For the complete list (by establishment) of projects financed by the New Opportunities Fund, visit the CFI online at www.innovation.ca