Welcome to this week’s Sunday Digest, brought to you by Tiny. In this issue, meet the UVic researchers buoyed by B.C. Then, look ahead to the rest of the year, glean insights into the intersection of entrepreneurship and motherhood, and plenty more.

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A trio of UVic projects receive research funding

“Research, innovation make people’s lives better” read the headline of a B.C. government release unveiled just before the holidays. It’s hard to argue with that statement. Given the news that followed the headline, the province’s government can’t argue with it either. 

Through The B.C. Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF), the Government of B.C. is providing more than $4.3 million for projects at the province’s post-secondary institutions. It has awarded $450,000 of that to three projects at UVic:

Assistive technology for osteoarthritis management

The BCDKF is providing $125,000 for research infrastructure that will develop and investigate the use of assistive technology for musculoskeletal rehabilitation using augmented reality and eWearable technology to help patients self-manage their pain associated with osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases. The researcher for this project is Marianne Black.

Investigating molecular events contributing to viral-bacterial co-infection

The BCKDF is providing $175,000 toward infrastructure to study infections with respiratory viruses that are complicated by secondary bacterial co-infection. The researcher for this project is Mariya Goncheva. 

Remote sensing of on-road vehicle emissions

The BCKDF is providing $150,000 for research infrastructure that will investigate the emissions of the B.C. fleet of on-road vehicles, to model the impact of transportation policies on air quality. The researcher for this project is Laura Minet. 

“A personal passion of mine”

“Bettering the lives of people through research and innovation is an important part of our StrongerBC Economic Plan and a personal passion of mine,” said Brenda Bailey, the newly-minted Minister of Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation. “The BCKDF gives students and researchers access to state-of-the-art equipment to develop technologies and innovate in areas like cancer treatments and the fight against climate change, helping improve the way we deliver the services that people rely on.”

“These matching BCKDF funds will help University of Victoria researchers explore life-changing science and technologies to improve the health and well-being of people and our planet,” added Lisa Kalynchuk, vice-president research and innovation at UVic. “From remote sensing of vehicle emissions to mitigating viral-bacterial co-infections and developing assistive technologies for osteoarthritis management, this research will help reduce the burden of air pollution on our health and improve the lives of people impacted by respiratory infections and chronic disease.”

The BCKDF shares project funding with other funding partners, including the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. These investments, the province says, will help to ensure UVic will have the state-of-the-art scientific equipment and infrastructure to be well-positioned to lead B.C. into the future.