University of Manitoba, The university, in partnership with the universities of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Calgary, is receiving a combined $57 million to conduct vaccine and biomanufacturing research, as well as build two research facilities in Winnipeg.
The funding was provided by the Government of Canada and includes investments from the Canada Biomedical Research Fund and the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Biosciences Research Infrastructure Fund.
Associate vice-president of research Annemike Fahrenhorst said the funding will enable future research that will benefit not only Manitobans but also Canadians from coast to coast.
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“This unprecedented investment will strengthen our ability to provide solutions to society’s most pressing challenges through research and get ahead of the threats of future pandemics,” Fahrenhorst said. “This will empower our research community to develop next-generation vaccines and scale up biomanufacturing solutions – from fundamental research to preclinical testing – to accelerate innovation that will benefit Manitobans and Canadians.”
Of the $57 million, $29 million will be used to build two research facilities. The Prairie Biologics Accelerator, a 21,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art biosecure facility located on the Fort Garry campus, will increase laboratory capacity for pre-clinical vaccine testing for high-risk pathogens under safe and secure conditions.
The second facility will be located on the Bannatyne campus. The Prairie Forest Health Emerging Respiratory Disease Center will provide “Containment Level 3” agricultural laboratory space, which is not currently available in Manitoba.
These laboratories will help Manitoba researchers and their private sector partners collaborate to develop next-generation vaccines by incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning to create predictive models for large-scale drug development and biomanufacturing.
“This investment reflects UM’s strategic priority to advance research capacity in the life sciences and biomanufacturing areas, as well as its history as a globally recognized research leader in pandemic preparedness,” the university said in a release. Is consistent.”
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