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The 2023 Major Science Initiative Fund Competition awarded to The Canadian Cancer Trials Group

For Immediate Release

The 2023 Major Science Initiative Fund Competition awarded to The Canadian Cancer Trials Group

KINGSTON, ONTARIO - August 19, 2022 - The Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) Operations and Statistics Centre will receive full funding of $19,457,683 through The Major Science Initiatives (MSI) Fund. Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne announced the award at Queen’s University as part of the 19 successful research infrastructure projects receiving $628 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The funding supports state-of-the-art facilities of national importance to drive innovative research in Canada.

“The continuing investment from CFI will ensure CCTG continues to conduct research of the exceptional caliber and competitive with the best in the world,” acknowledges Dr Janet Dancey, CCTG Director. “The award acknowledges CCTG as a national resource that is used by leading Canadian researchers who are internationally recognized for their work.”

The MSI review recognized that CCTG central operations at Queen’s as a unique Canadian research facility. Also noted were the impressive Canadian network, and success in advancing the full spectrum of cancer clinical trials for researchers and patients across Canada and the world.

“The CCTG has received continuous investment through the MSI program, marking its critical importance in the Canadian research landscape and Queen’s leadership in this area,” says Dr. Nancy Ross, Vice-Principal (Research). "Through clinical trials and the work of the CCTG, we are defining new standards of care, diagnostic tests, and therapies, having a positive impact on cancer patients worldwide.”

The CFI MSI Funding will support the CCTG trials operations, assures development of the highly innovative personalized cancer therapies, expand its operations and data platforms to support innovative clinical trials and related research.

“CCTG trials are designed to test promising cancer treatments that are of importance to Canadian researchers and patients,” continued Dr. Dancey. “Our network of investigators and patients is the largest in Canada and our research results have had the greatest impact on patient care.”

The Major Science Initiatives Fund provides support for the ongoing operating and maintenance needs of research facilities of national importance. The fund supports innovative and leading-edge research that leads to social, health, economic or environmental benefits to Canadians.

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Media Contact

Lisa Callahan | lcallahan@ctg.queensu.ca | 343-363-7158

About Canadian Cancer Trials Group
The Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) is a cancer clinical trials research cooperative that runs phase I-III trials to test anti-cancer and supportive therapies at over 85 hospitals and cancer centers across Canada. From the operations center at Queen's University, CCTG has supported more than 600 trials enrolling 100,000 patients from 40 countries on 6 continents through a global network of 20,000 investigators and clinical trial staff. CCTG is a national program of the Canadian Cancer Society and their aim is to improve survival and quality of life for all people with cancer.