NSERC-Quebec office in Montreal

Ottawa, November 7, 2007 – The Honourable Michael Fortier, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, and Dr. Suzanne Fortier, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), are pleased to announce plans to open NSERC’s fourth regional office, in Montreal, in early 2008.

“This is good news for our region, which has lots to offer to the development of Canadian research and innovation,” said Minister Fortier. “NSERC’s presence in the province of Quebec will help to create more opportunities for R&D collaboration between governments, colleges and universities, and businesses.”

The NSERC-Quebec office will have the same mandate as NSERC’s existing offices serving the Atlantic, Prairie and Pacific regions, focusing on expanding and strengthening NSERC’s presence and the accessibility of its programs in Quebec.

As Dr. Fortier explained, “This office will facilitate access to various NSERC programs for professors and students at Quebec post-secondary educational institutions and for Quebec-based businesses. The office’s staff will collaborate with other federal and provincial agencies to promote interest in science and engineering among students and the general public in Quebec.”

The NSERC-Quebec office will be located at the National Research Council Canada’s Biotechnology Research Institute in Montreal. The staff for this office will be hired over the coming months, and its official opening is scheduled for early 2008.

NSERC is a federal agency whose role is to make investments in people, discoveries and innovation for the benefit of all Canadians. The agency invests in people by supporting some 23,000 university students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding more than 11,000 university professors every year and fosters innovation by encouraging some 1,300 Canadian companies to invest in university research and training. Over the past 10 years, NSERC has invested $6 billion in basic research, university-industry projects, and the training of Canada’s next generation of scientists and engineers.

For more information, please contact:

Martine Perreault
Media and Public Affairs Officer
NSERC
Tel.: 613-996-7238
Cell.: 613-794-9170
E-mail: martine.perreault@nserc.ca