A boost for local health research.
WE-SPARK Health Institute and its funding partners have awarded 20 research grants totalling $412,714 to tackle local health challenges in its latest round of funding.
The grants support early-stage, innovative health research and education projects in Windsor-Essex, which aim to address healthcare gaps, spark new ideas, and foster collaborations.
The projects will involve over 140 researchers, trainees, and thousands of participants.
A celebration event took place at the University of Windsor on Wednesday.
Collaborators include WE-SPARK's five supporting institutions: Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, the University of Windsor, and Windsor Regional Hospital - along with community members, students, and volunteers.
The grants are made possible thanks to generous contributions from the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation, ChildCan, Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association, Tayfour-Emara Excellence in Research and Education Fund, Connecting for a Cause, and the University of Windsor's Office of Research & Innovation Services, as well as the faculties of Business, Science, Nursing, and Human Kinetics.
Dr. Dora Cavallo-Medved, interim director of WE-SPARK, says people are seeing the impact of the investment and are eager to make use of this opportunity.
She says this is a highly competitive, peer-reviewed process.
"Essentially the funding will support early stage, novel and innovative health research projects throughout Windsor-Essex. So continue to build on our history of health research and bringing it to the next level," she said.
Cavallo-Medved says the research that happens across WE-SPARK's supporting institutions benefits everyone involved.
"That research really focuses on all areas of health. We have a big presence in the area of cancer research, it's one of our main pillars here as far as research excellence is concerned. But we also have research grants in the area of mental health and again that could be mental health across the university or in our hospital systems."
She says in particular the Igniting Discovery Grants allows for deeper research across a number of different fields.
"To be able to ask those questions, those innovative questions, and get a little bit of seed funding so that they can start getting some data and testing hypotheses out. So that they can then elevate that research over to the next level and we hope that they will go towards national funding as well," Cavallo-Medved said.
Projects will begin in September, and more details can be found on WE-SPARK's website.
Since the launch of the WE-SPARK Health Institute grants program back in April 2020 over $1.8 million has been awarded to support local projects.
- with files from AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides