The University of Toronto continues to be the market share leader in Natural Science and Engineering Research Council Discovery Grants. Of the 207 applications for funding U of T submitted, they achieved a 71 per cent success rate and received 147 grants. The national average is 58 per cent. U of T received almost $6 million.

“What’s phenomenal about the Discovery Grants program is it doesn’t restrict our scholars. They’re allowed to explore new research interests over the term of the grant. The grant truly offers a window to knowledge creation and innovation,” said Paul Young, vice president of research at U of T.

“It is our hope to continually contribute to a world of changing ideas by advancing research and innovation,” said Young. “Support, such as NSERC’s Discovery Grants, gives our researchers the tools they need to succeed and educate the next generation of researchers.”

NSERC Discovery Grants provide funding for regular research projects, composing the bulk of NSERC’s one billion dollar budget. Funding is allocated through a system of peer review committees, called grant selection groups, which include field experts who meet to discuss the merits of each project. This year nearly 12,000 researchers and 27,000 graduate students received NSERC funding. U of T has systematically managed to maintain its position as the largest grant receiver, having received 764 Discovery Grants in total.

Javad Mostaghimi, a researcher who has received multiple NSERC grants is utilizing his funding to pursue thermal spray applications, a technology used to provide protective coatings on engines, landing gears, and related components. “[Thermal spraying] was identified by Industry Canada as a key enabling technology for the aerospace industry. Spray forming is a revolutionary new technology in which the spray nozzle and substrate are both manipulated by robots to deposit thick layers and form a near-net shape part that requires little or no machining.”

Shana Kelley, a researcher with the Department of Biochemistry of the Faculty of Medicine received funding to continue here work on disease diagnosis technologies for developing countries. “We are working on creating devices that can read out minute quantities of diseased cells using simple, inexpensive testing units.”

Milica Radisic, a researcher in the Department of Chemical Engineering, is using her grant to grow her laboratory. She will be hiring more assistants to further investigate models of suboptimal myocardium. “Availability of such models is important in accelerating the development of new therapies for heart disease.”