Login | Register

AHFMR News

Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research to offer richest awards in Canada

The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) will offer the richest and longest awards in Canada for medical researchers, commencing in 2007. The new awards will be instrumental in recruiting top health researchers to Alberta and retaining talent in the province.


(Calgary, AB) Wednesday September 13, 2006

Join the University of Calgary’s President, Dr. Harvey Weingarten, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research’s President and CEO, Dr. Kevin Keough and Dr. Paul Kubes, an AHFMR Scientist, for this major funding announcement.

*** A photo opportunity with AHFMR President, the University of Calgary President, and AHFMR researchers in a research lab will be available ***

    What: Media opportunity to interview Dr. Harvey Weingarten, Dr. Kevin Keough, and Dr. Paul Kubes
    When: Wednesday September 13, 2006
    Time: 9:15AM
    Where: The Rozsa Centre
    University of Calgary – 206 University Court NW

(Edmonton, AB) Thursday September 14, 2006

Join the University of Alberta’s President, Dr. Indira Samarasekera, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research’s President & CEO, Dr. Kevin Keough, and Dr. Joe Casey, AHFMR Scientist, for this major funding announcement.

*** A Photo Opportunity with a Researcher, AHFMR President, and the University of Alberta President will be available ***

    What: Media opportunity to interview Dr. Indira Samarasekera, Dr. Kevin Keough, and Dr. Joe Casey
    When: Thursday September 14, 2006
    Time: 11:15 AM
    Where: University Hall – Room 3-15
    University of Alberta

Please call Dwayne Brunner, AHFMR Communications, at (780) 966-1518 to confirm attendance or for further information

Backgrounder

  • The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research will begin offering seven-year awards starting July 1, 2007. Previous awards were five years in length.

  • These are not salary awards but amounts that will be given to the institutions to offset the direct costs of supporting AHFMR health researchers.

  • Three new levels of support will be recognized with the increased amounts available to researchers over seven years:

    • $110,000 per award at the junior levels of Population Health Investigator, Scholar, Clinical Investigator.
    • $135,000 per award for the intermediate level of Senior Scholar
    • $160,000 per award for the senior level of Scientist and renewing Scientist.

  • In addition to these amounts, researchers receive annual research prizes of $10,000 or $20,000 per researcher.

  • The cumulative amounts for the new awards will be more than any other health research awards offered in Canada.

  • Increased awards will sustain the ability of AHFMR to attract and retain world class researchers to Alberta, both now and in the future.

  • Other initiatives announced by AHFMR include the Polaris Award –a million dollar per year prize, for up to 10 years, to help attract renowned scientists to Alberta to build research capacity in the province.

  • Team Grants of up to $1 million will be made available for the first time in the Foundation’s 26 years to help build collaborations and teams of interdisciplinary research around the province. The teams will address priority health research areas for Albertans.

  • The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research currently provides funding for more than 600 researchers and researchers-in-training at the province’s three main universities. AHFMR’s commitment is to fund health research based on international standards of excellence and carried out by new and established investigators and researchers-in-training. Total AHFMR funding for more than a quarter of a century is in excess of $850 million. For more information, visit www.ahfmr.ab.ca.