Government invests and strengthens universities’ capacity to attract and retain talent

Ottawa, July 6, 2010 – Today, Canada’s universities welcome a vital new tool – the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program – to attract and retain exceptional researchers. The program is designed to offer leading Canadian and international postdoctoral fellows, across disciplines, a significant financial award to pursue their research.

“Canada’s not just doing one thing. This is the latest in a series of sustained and complementary programs to attract more creative and innovative people,” said Paul Davidson, president and CEO of AUCC. “We need more leaders, more researchers at the top of their game, to help Canada address critical health, social, economic and environmental issues,” he added.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program is a key component of a coordinated suite of programs that support students and researchers at various stages of their careers. Over the last several years, the government has created and maintained model programs including the Canada Research Chairs and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships. Just recently, as a result of the new and prestigious Canada Excellence Research Chairs program, Canada welcomed 19 world-leading international university researchers to its campuses.

Budget 2010 provided $45 million over five years to the federal research granting agencies to establish a new and prestigious postdoctoral program. The internationally-competitive fellowships are valued at $70,000 per year for two years. The first 70 fellowships will be awarded in 2010–11. In 2011-12, and thereafter, the new program will fund 140 fellowships annually.

Today’s additional investment in people will help maximize the benefits of recent major targeted funding for postsecondary teaching and research infrastructure through the government’s Knowledge Infrastructure Program and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. With support for researchers and infrastructure, Canada is enhancing the innovative capacity needed to build the economy of tomorrow.

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AUCC is the national voice for Canada’s universities. It represents 95 Canadian public and private not-for-profit universities.

For more information:

Caroline Lachance
Senior Policy Analyst
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
Email: clachance@aucc.ca
Telephone: 613-563-3961, ext. 242