Montreal-based asset manager Fiera Capital Corp. will commit C$120,000 ($91,500) over the next three years to reward promising medical researchers who come from Black, Indigenous, Asian or South Asian backgrounds.
Fiera is collaborating in this endeavor with McGill University Health Centre Foundation and with the Research Institute of MUHC, according to a Sept. 7 news release.
Specifically, the Fiera Capital Awards for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Health Care will provide support to Master of Science and Ph.D. research students with "high-risk early-stage innovative ideas with a great potential for advancing medical research," in an effort to "break the systemic barriers and root causes of racial inequalities," the release stated.
"High-risk/early stage innovative ideas" refer to research that is not typically funded from traditional sources. "This can be because the research is too early stage or because it came from a scientist who is still too junior to compete with larger, well-established laboratories," said Julie Quenneville, president and CEO, MUHC Foundation.
The research institute will call for proposals from research students active in a laboratory at RI-MUHC later this fall; finalists will be chosen by a scientific advisory committee.
"World-class research needs scientists of all backgrounds to bring unique perspectives to the lab so our physicians can provide better care at the bedside," Ms. Quenneville said in the release.
Lyne Lamothe, global chief human resources officer at Fiera, said this is the asset manager's first partnership with the MUHC Foundation. "Norman Steinberg, who sits on the board of Fiera Capital and also co-chairs the MUHC Foundation Board, was pivotal in sharing Fiera Capital's interest to innovate and prioritize racial equity in a tangible way," she said. Ms. Lamothe added that Fiera's support will provide five awards for three Ph.D. and two MSc students each year, for three years, for a total of 15 winners.
Fiera had C$156.7 billion in AUM as of June 30.
