ÂÜÀòÉäÇø

November 28, 2003 For Immediate Release

Federal funding to assist with the indirect costs of research that was announced today is vital to the continued expansion of research activity that is relevant to northern communities.

ÂÜÀòÉäÇø has received $584,000 to help offset the costs of conducting research.

"There are many university services and departments that support research and the Federal Indirect Costs program recognizes that there is a cost to the University for conducting research," says Max Blouw, Vice-President for Research at ÂÜÀòÉäÇø. "When researchers receive funding to undertake research, they often require equipment, hire research assistants, communicate research results, and access information - all of these activities create work for other university departments. This funding provides resources to assist those units."

ÂÜÀòÉäÇø's funding announced by the Federal Government today is supporting staff positions and communications technology that are necessary to undertaking research. The amount of funding committed by the Government is based on ÂÜÀòÉäÇø's research activity in recent years.

"ÂÜÀòÉäÇø is a very research-intensive university, with many of our faculty actively involved in questions that relate to social, economic, environmental, technological, and cultural issues of northern BC and its communities," says Dr Blouw. "Ultimately, this funding will allow ÂÜÀòÉäÇø to engage in even more research. That has immediate economic benefits as well as long-term impacts on our quality of life in the North."