Charlottetown, PE--The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is proud to learn that it has successfully entered Phase 2 of a national competition for funding under the newly created Canada Excellence Research Chairs program.

The Canada Excellence Research Chairs was established by the Government of Canada in 2008 to establish 20 prestigious research chairs in universities across the country. The program invests $28 million a year to attract and retain the world’s most accomplished and promising minds to help Canada build a critical mass of expertise in priority research areas. UPEI’s submission to the program was for funding to further its aquatic epidemiology expertise.

“The University of Prince Edward Island, supported by its veterinary medicine faculty (the Atlantic Veterinary College), is a global leader in aquatic epidemiology and a national leader in research excellence,” says Dr. Katherine Schultz, Vice President of Research Development, UPEI.

“Our expertise in aquatic species health and epidemiology advances basic and applied science, strengthens industry both within Canada and internationally, and makes a healthy, sustainable source of food a possibility. We are excited and proud of this opportunity to further expand our strengths by competing to recruit a world leading researcher in this field.”

If successful in Phase 2 of the competition, UPEI will receive up to $1.4 million annually for seven years to develop an ambitious research program to contribute to Canada’s global competitiveness, future prosperity and well-being.

The UPEI and Atlantic Veterinary College researchers, all of whom are professors of epidemiology, involved in the development of the Canada Excellence Research Chair submission for a UPEI-based world leader in aquatic epidemiology include: Dr. Larry Hammell (Director of the Atlantic Veterinary College’s Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences), Dr. Crawford Revie (Canada Research Chair in Population Health/Epi-Informatics ), Dr. Ian Dohoo (Director of the Atlantic Veterinary College’s Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research) and Dr. John VanLeeuwen (Chief Research Officer of the PEI Health Research Institute).

UPEI is one of the top ten universities in Canada for undergraduate research, and the number one Canadian undergraduate university for research income growth over five years. External grants and contracts for all research areas at UPEI totaled $16.4 million in 2008. UPEI has seven Canada Research Chairs in the sciences and the social sciences and humanities.

Click here to see the Government of Canada’s media release, “Government of Canada invites 17 Canadian universities to compete for prestigious Canada Excellence Research Chairs.” Click here to view Phase 1 competition results.