Edmonton, AB – Today, the Honourable Laurie Hawn, PC, CD, MP for Edmonton Centre congratulated recipients of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships from Alberta, and across the country. As university campuses across the country come back to life with the start of a new school year, 156 new 2012 Vanier Scholars are being celebrated for their demonstrated leadership skills and achievements.
“I am proud of our Government’s commitment to investing in science, technology and research as a key to our economic growth and long-term prosperity,” said MP Hawn. “It is these types of tangible investments that will ensure we focus on the building blocks of innovation, and continue to make Canada a premier destination for the world’s brightest minds.”
Alberta universities were the beneficiaries of having 16 graduate students awarded scholarships, with 10 attending the University of Alberta, in Edmonton. The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, introduced by the Canadian Government in 2008, are Canada’s most prestigious scholarships for doctoral students. This scholarship built on a multiyear framework for improving Canada’s long-term competitiveness, as attracting and retaining the best minds to innovate within Canada is a government priority. These scholarships aim to attract and retain world-class scholars and establish Canada as a global centre of excellence in research and higher learning.
Vanier scholars demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health. Scholarship recipients receive $50,000 each year for three years. A total of 660 scholarships have been awarded since the inception of the program—164 of them to international doctoral students from the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia.
“It is the ideas and drive of these highly skilled and creative individuals that bring great innovations to life. The development of new products and services are critical to Alberta’s, and all of Canada’s economic competitiveness, and improves the quality of life for people around the world,” said MP Hawn.
Vanier scholars are selected through a competitive process. Scholarship candidates are first nominated by a Canadian university. The nominations are then evaluated by selection committees established by Canada’s three research granting agencies: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Since 2006, the Canadian Government has invested nearly $8 billion in initiatives supporting science, technology and the growth of innovation firms in Canada, including $5 billion for advanced research, education and training, $2 billion for post-secondary infrastructure, and $1 billion for applied research and financing. This funding has helped make Canada a world leader in post-secondary education research and to create the knowledge and highly skilled workforce that is required for a more prosperous economy.
“Our latest Vanier Scholars will keep Canada in that world-leading position. All Canadians should be very proud of these individuals, and encouraged about our future,” concluded MP Hawn.
Visit the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships website for a complete list of the 2012 scholarship recipients (www.vanier.gc.ca).