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The Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Infection and Immunity (CIHR-III) officially opened its doors on May 3, 2002.
The formal opening took place at the Institute's administrative offices located at the University of Western Ontario (UWO) in London, Ontario. On hand for the ribbon cutting were the founding Scientific Director of the Institute Dr. Bhagirath Singh, London area MPs Joe Fontana and Sue Barnes, UWO Vice-President (Research) Dr. Nils Petersen and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry Dr. Carol Herbert.
"The diseases we deal with have a global impact and Canada can be a leader in this research," said Dr. Singh, a professor of microbiology and immunology at UWO and a Robarts Research Institute Scientist, to an audience of about 50 that included Institute Advisory Board members, representatives from professional societies and volunteer organizations, and a number of members of the UWO community.
III and its community of researchers are working to reduce the burden of infection- and immune-based diseases, and the Institute opening marks the uniting of this community under the III mandate, forming a strong network of researchers in infection and immunity across Canada. "The Institute will act as a meeting ground for researchers in the area of infection and immunity", said Dr. Singh.
CIHR is currently funding researchers from multiple disciplines working in the Institute of Infection and Immunity's strategic priority areas, including antimicrobial resistance, food and water safety, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. III is already funding teams working in the areas of innovative vaccine development and delivery, asthma, diabetes, and transplantation. Shortly after the opening, III launched a new series of Requests for Applications (RFA) for research addressing global health issues, food and water safety, antimicrobial resistance, and HIV/AIDS, and most recently, RFA for the creation of a co-ordinated research effort into hepatitis C.
The opening was celebrated with a symposium [ PDF (39 KB) | Help ], attended by more than 150 people from local and national research communities and invited guests from stakeholder groups, featuring the work of Advisory Board scientists and local III-affiliated researchers. Dr. Alan Bernstein, CIHR President, said in his address that London, in its support for III, is a model for Canada in the support of health research. MP Sue Barnes noted that III funding for health research will improve the health of all Canadians, while attracting and retaining talented researchers.