Mac researchers receive funding to kick-start international partnerships

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BY Erica Balch

December 15, 2015

Working with experts in China to make wearable technologies more efficient. Establishing an archaeological project in Bolivia. Collecting tumour tissue samples to learn more about breast cancer in women of African ancestry.

These are just some of the 19 projects that recently received funding in the second round of the International Initiatives Micro Fund (IIMF), which is administered through the Office of International Affairs and provides seed funding to kick-start international partnerships and joint international research activities.

A total of $89,500 was awarded in this round of funding, which includes financial contributions from several Faculties. Funds will support research activities in more than a dozen countries on six continents and will help to advance research collaborations with partners at some of the world’s top universities, including Harvard, Heidelberg and Tsinghua, among many others.

“Researchers from all Faculties are globally engaged in many different areas and McMaster is committed to supporting them in this work,” says Peter Mascher, Associate Vice-President, International Affairs. “Most of these projects wouldn’t be able to move forward without this seed funding and far fewer projects would have been funded without contributions from the Faculties. I am pleased that we could collectively provide opportunities for researchers and I look forward to working with all Faculties as we continue to develop ways to fund international initiatives.”

The funding will be used for a range of activities including travel, enabling researchers to meet with international partners or spend time at a partner’s lab or research site. Funds will also be used to conduct preliminary experiments, or gather samples, organize idea exchanges, such as workshops, and assist with costs associated with writing grant proposals.

Each IIMF project was eligible for up to $5000 in funding. Ten proposals were funded in the first round of the IIMF, which was concluded earlier this year.