New Brunswick Students Awarded Research Funding

The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, in partnership with the New Brunswick Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour [PETL], today announced $600,000 in funding to support 68 research assistantships at the province’s universities.

Awarded by the foundation, the funding is part of the Research Assistantship Initiative

The funding will support over 45 applied research projects in province, led by some of New Brunswick’s most innovative researchers and professors. The purpose of the initiative is to give undergraduate and graduate students specialized training and skills, and to increase the research capacity of the province.

« Funding research assistantships is beneficial to everyone involved, » says Roger Gervais, vice-president of research at the Innovation Foundation, « the funding allows the students to obtain hands-on experience in the lab and allows the researchers to focus their activities on the critical aspects of their research programs. »

Since 2003, the foundation and PETL have worked together to award over $5 million and leverage $20 million more to support over 600 research assistantships in New Brunswick.

« Education and applied learning are key elements of attaining self-sufficiency, » Post Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault said. « As stated in Be Inspired. Be Ready. Be Better. The Action Plan to Transform Post-Secondary Education in New Brunswick, we need to foster an environment of innovation that encourages greater primary research so our province can reach its full potential. »