Research News
Steven Smith appointed as Deputy Vice-Principal Research for Health Research
Nancy Ross announced on January 28 the appointment of Dr. Steven Smith as the University’s inaugural Deputy Vice-Principal Research for Health Research. Working closely with Faculties and our affiliated hospitals, the Deputy VPR will provide institutional leadership for the coordination and attraction of resources and partnerships for the enhancement of Queen’s health research strategies and profile. This position not only reflects the importance of health as an interdisciplinary research strength at Queen’s, but recognizes the significance of this scholarship in a post pandemic world and at a time when governments are prioritizing investment in biomanufacturing, clinical trial research, in strengthening healthcare and in understanding and ameliorating health disparities. Read the full announcement.
Prize for Excellence in Research for Outstanding Emerging Researchers
The Prize for Excellence in Research for Outstanding Emerging Researchers is now accepting nominations until April 1, 2022. The prize recognizes and celebrates outstanding early career researchers at Queen’s University. Up to three cash prizes valued at $5,000 each will be awarded to persons in any of the fields or disciplines in which research is carried out at Queen's. Nominations must be submitted by Deans. Deans are encouraged to consider nominating individuals from equity deserving groups such as women, racialized/visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity, and others who reflect the diversity of Canadian society.
Post-Doctoral Fund
Applications are now being accepted for the Post-Doctoral Fund. The goal of the fund is to foster greater recognition of trainees as research leaders of the future, which includes supporting post-doctoral fellows (PDFs), their contribution to research and to advancing Queen’s University. The objective of the fund is to attract outstanding post-doctoral fellows to Queen’s. The fund provides two years of salary support for up to ten PDFs who will hold the post-doctoral fellowship at Queen’s University. The fund is valued at $50,000 each year of the funding period for a total of $100,000.
Canada First Research Excellence Fund
The Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) “helps competitively selected Canadian postsecondary institutions turn their key strengths into world-leading capabilities,” by supporting large-scale research initiatives aligned with Canada’s science, technology, and innovation priorities. As an Institution can be identified as the lead institution for only one proposal within a given competition, the Vice-Principal Research has worked with faculties to identify the most competitive applications. The outcome of the process has been an invitation to Professor Tony Noble to lead the University’s grant application in the next CFREF competition in the area of Astroparticle Physics.
Three new EDI webinars scheduled for Resources for Research at Queen’s
The Vice-Principal Research Portfolio in partnership with Viswali Consulting and the Queen’s Human Rights and Equity Office will host a three-part Resources for Research at Queen’s webinar series on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in Research. The three 90-minute sessions will cover EDI in research design, developing inclusive research teams, and embedding EDI in knowledge mobilization, translation, and data management. These sessions will use and highlight the EDI in research course that was developed and released in 2021.
Partnerships and Innovation
Three Queen’s researchers have been granted funding through the Queen’s Technology Development Pilot Program.
Marianna Kontopoulou, Sam Basta, and Yan-Fei Liu are the successful recipients of funding from the Technology Development Pilot Program (TDPP). Enabled by the Office of the Vice-Principal Research (VPR), and administered by Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation (QPI), the goal of the Program is to advance selected inventions with commercial potential to position them for other funding opportunities and make them attractive to potential licensees or investors. QPI announced the program in the summer, assessed the applications in the fall, and recommended the top-scoring applicants to the VPR for approval in November 2021.
Kwe-Biz Accelerator client, Horse Sense Equine Guidance helps people become better version of themselves
Indigenous woman entrepreneur Micky Colton launched her new business Horse Sense Equine Guidance in 2017. In September 2020, Horse Sense joined the Kwe-Biz Accelerator program which is offered by Okwaho Equal Source (OES), through the WE-CAN Project led by Queen’s University. OES is a 100% Indigenous owned company based on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
Since being a part of the Kwe-Biz Accelerator program, Micky says she has learned more about what it means to run a business effectively so they can help people become a better version of themselves. Learn more about Micky’s story.
Queen’s spin-off SPARQ Systems secures $10M in venture capital
Congratulations to Queen's researcher, and CRC in Power Electronics, Dr. Praveen Jain and his team from SPARQ Systems who closed the Toronto Stock Exchange Venture Exchange on January 27.
The Queen’s spin-off SPARQ Systems was celebrating its listing on the TSXV and securing $10M in venture capital for the commercialization of solar energy microinverter technology.