On July 9, 2025, The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions and the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced $1.3 billion in federal research funding through a suite of research programs administered by the three federal research granting agencies—the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). We are pleased to announce the research grants recently awarded to the following CBR investigators:
NSERC Discovery Research Grant
The NSERC Discovery Research Program Grant supports ongoing programs of research with long-term goals rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects, recognizing the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances.
191 new research programs and projects led by UBC researchers were collectively awarded over $48 million through the 2025 NSERC Discovery Research Program. From the CBR, Sarah Hedtrich (School of Biomedical Engineering) was awarded an NSERC Discovery Grant for her proposal entited “Generating complex, immunocompetent organ models of the human skin and lung epithelium.”
NSERC Research Tools and Instruments Grant
The NSERC Research Tools and Instruments Grant support the purchase of research equipment that enhances the discovery, innovation and training capability of university researchers.
24 one-year projects led by UBC researchers were awarded a combined $31.5 million through Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) grants. From the CBR, Hongshen Ma (Mechanical Engineering) was awarded an NSERC RTI grant for his proposal “High-throughput microscope for AI-powered image cytometry.”
New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration
The New Frontiers in Research Fund – Exploration Stream generates opportunities for Canadians to conduct innovative high-risk / high-reward interdisciplinary research. More than $2.2 million was awarded to nine projects led by UBC researchers through the New Frontiers in Research Fund Exploration (NFRF) competition. From the CBR, Jayachandran Kizhakkedathu (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) was awarded an NFRF grant for his proposal “Novel Bioactive Vascular Device Technology to Protect Against Bloodstream Infection, Thromboembolism and Device Failure.”
CIHR Project Grants
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grants program supports research projects conducted by researchers in all areas of health.
Forty-six (46) projects led by UBC researchers were collectively awarded over $41.5 million in the Spring 2025 CIHR Project Grant competition, including the following projects led by CBR investigators:
Natalie Strynadka (Biochemistry & Molecular Biology) and Artem Cherkasov (Urologic Sciences) were awarded a 5-year CIHR Project Grant for their proposal “Structure-based design of small molecule inhibitors of the transsulfuration pathway in Ewing Sarcoma.”
Hugh Kim (Dentistry) was awarded a 5-year CIHR Project Grant for his proposal “Pro-inflammatory platelet signaling: identifying novel therapeutic targets for periodontitis.”
Ed Conway (Medicine) was awarded a 5-year CIHR grant for his proposal “Characterisation of cross-talk pathways between insulin signaling/glucometabolism and coagulation mediated by the insulin receptor (IR) and tissue factor (TF).”
Aly Karsan (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) was awarded a 5-year CIHR grant for his proposal “Hematopoietic stem cell aging.”
Sincere congratulations to all of the CBR PI’s for their outstanding success in these competitive federal funding competitions. We look forward to seeing the impact of their research in the years to come!