In partnership with the Universities of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Calgary, the University of Manitoba has received its largest federal research investment in its history – and all U of M health researchers involved were previously funded by the Manitoba Medical Service Foundation (MMSF). The $57 million from the Government of Canada will be used for research on pandemic preparedness.

“It is thanks to the seed money and confidence building created through the MMSF grant process that health researchers are able to quickly launch their careers to become highly successful,” says Dr. Keith Fowke, Department Head of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Manitoba, who is on the team leading the research project. “MMSF plays a critical role in helping to ensure that early career health researchers in Manitoba are equipped for success and can go on to achieve great things... this is but one example of the great leveraging that MMSF has achieved over the years.”

The researchers are:

The new federal funds are being used to bolster vaccine and biomedical research for the PRAIRIE HUB pandemic preparedness project. Researchers will test alternate methods of vaccine delivery – whether traditional or more modern – to determine which produces the best immunity with the fewest side effects against each class of disease. The research will be conducted at two new facilities being constructed in Winnipeg.

“This investment will provide critical infrastructure and research focused on stronger and smarter vaccine and testing platforms for the next infectious disease threat and the ability to manufacture and scale these vaccines quickly,” says Dr. Laura Saward, MMSF board member, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Manitoba and member of the project’s scientific leadership committee. “The timing of this initiative allows us to build on the key learnings from the recent COVID-19 pandemic and leverage the deep expertise at the University of Manitoba in infectious disease research.”

The MMSF’s mission is to promote and fund scientific, educational and other activities to improve the health and well-being of Manitobans.

"Our grants are awarded to new researchers to support them in the critical early stages of their careers,” says Dr. Peter Cattini, chair of the MMSF board. “Since 1971, over 750 research operating grants have been funded by the MMSF, for a total of nearly $17 million.”  

‍