This release was issued under a previous government.
Geoffrey Cumming donates $100 million for medical research at the University of Calgary. The Alberta government will provide matching funds.
The $200 million investment is designed to transform medical research in Alberta for students of Campus Alberta and for people throughout the world. The funding is targeted at brain and mental health studies and in research of infections, inflammation and chronic diseases.
The Government of Alberta is providing $100 million over 10 years through an agreement with the University of Calgary to match the donation by international businessman and University of Calgary alumnus Geoffrey A. Cumming.
“We are so incredibly grateful to Mr. Cumming for his generous gift to the University of Calgary and this province. Our government is proud to be a part of this initiative that builds on the innovative work throughout Campus Alberta and elevates Alberta’s position as a global leader in health research. The Cumming School of Medicine will attract top medical students and researchers to Alberta and will make a difference for patients here and around the world.”
“The University of Calgary is honoured to be able to work with Geoffrey Cumming and the Government of Alberta to create fundamental advances in medical research. This combined support is helping foster world-class medical research in this province. The leadership both Geoff and the province have shown by investing in our students and researchers is extraordinary. I am excited to see what our researchers and students will achieve at the Cumming School of Medicine in the decades to come.”
The University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine is now, “The Cumming School of Medicine.” This is the first named faculty of medicine in western Canada. The University of Calgary’s Medical School was first established in 1967.
Geoffrey Cumming earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Calgary (1974) and obtained a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics.
More than 2,400 students are enrolled in the Cumming School of Medicine. The school has seven research institutes, more than $140 million in annual sponsored research and employs more than 3,500 people.
Under the Building Alberta Plan, our government is investing in families and communities, living within our means, and opening new markets for Alberta's resources to ensure we're able to fund the services Albertans told us matter most to them. We will continue to deliver the responsible change Albertans voted for.