Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

Founded in 1982, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research is a virtual institute dedicated to collaborative advanced research and scholarship of relevance to the Canadian and global community. Membership of the institute is by invitation and consists of senior scholars and scientists drawn from universities and research agencies throughout Canada. The institute is unique both for its pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's sake and its emphasis on long-term, collaborative approach to research.

Operations

CIFAR has an annual budget of $11.5 million Canadian dollars and employs 22 full time staff members. This staff supports the research of over 300 researchers, of which about half are located within Canada while the rest are located abroad. The staff is directly responsible to the Chairman and the Board of Directors, who are responsible for funding allocation and approval of research programs. In 2001 Chaviva Hosek was appointed president and CEO.

Research topics

As of 2007, CIFAR is supporting research in 12 major multidisciplinary areas:

*Cosmology and Gravity (established 1986)
*Earth System Evolution
*Integrated Microbial Biodiversity
*Experience-based Brain and Biological Development (established 2003)
*Genetic Networks (established 2005)
*Institutions, Organizations, and Growth (established 2004)
*Nanoelectronics (established 1999)
*Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception
*Quantum Materials
*Quantum Information Processing
*Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being (established 2005)
*Successful Societies (established 2002)

Archived Programs

*Evolutionary Biology

Process

CIFAR sets its own research agenda, and works with senior academics around the world to identify major new areas of scholarly research where Canada has major potential to lead. The organization assembles diverse groups of scholars in its programs, many of whom are established leaders in their fields, and others of who are rising academic stars. The organization invests only in the researchers themselves, not in buildings, equipment, or laboratory supplies.

CIFAR supports advanced research by providing program members with such time-freeing benefits as teaching release, funding to hire graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, and general research funding.

The hallmark of the CIFAR research model is the unusual spirit of "deep collaboration" that is encouraged at regular program meetings. These meetings exist to bring together researchers from different countries, institutions, disciplines and levels of experience, who might never otherwise meet.

History

CIFAR was founded by Dr. James Fraser Mustard. The first 25 years of its history is covered in the book "A Generation of Excellence" by Craig Brown. [Brown, Craig. A Generation of Excellence. The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, 2007. Published by the University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-9232-8]

Since the Institute’s inception, 12 Nobel Laureates have been associated with CIFAR.

* George A. Akerlof
* Sidney Altman
* Philip W. Anderson
* Kenneth Arrow
* Walter Gilbert
* Leland H. Hartwell
* Daniel Kahneman
* Robert B. Laughlin
* Anthony J. Leggett
* John C. Polanyi
* Richard J. Roberts
* Michael Smith

ee also

* Canadian government scientific research organizations
* Canadian university scientific research organizations
* Canadian industrial research and development organizations

Notes

External links

* [http://www.cifar.ca/ Canadian Institute for Advanced Research]
* [http://www.thenextbigquestion.ca/ Canadian Institute for Advanced Research's 25th Anniversary Events]