Our Donors

An image of the NGC 3324 star-forming region in the Carina Nebula, observed by the Webb Telescope's NIRCam and MIRI instruments. (Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI)
An image of the NGC 3324 star-forming region in the Carina Nebula, observed by the Webb Telescope's NIRCam and MIRI instruments. (Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI)

Since its creation, the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets has been generously funded by philanthropic donations, mainly from the Trottier Family Foundation. Our other major donors are Mr. Philippe Sureau, Mr. Jean-François Bertrand, and Mr. Sylvain Lumbroso. We thank all of our incredible donors throughout all planetary systems near and far! Without their support and vision, it would be impossible for us to continue our research that allows us to learn a little more about our Universe every day.

The 2018 iREx Annual Meeting. (Credit: É. Artigau)

The iREx has been very successful in attracting research funding for the development of major scientific infrastructure, including an $8.1M grant (over 5 years) from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for the development of SPIRou and NIRPS, $1.6M over 4 years from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for the scientific support of the Webb mission, and $1M from the CSA for a feasibility study of a nano-satellite (POET) dedicated to the study of exoplanet atmospheres. This funding covers a portion of the salaries of some iREx members.

The iREx booth where children were invited to invent their own planetary systems at the 2022 AstroFest at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium in Montreal. (Credit: N. Ouellette)

We have also received government funding for education and outreach projects, namely a DIALOGUE grant of $40,000 from the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) in 2020 for a project of a video series on exoplanets, the ExoBites, which have already accumulated more than 100,000 views, and a NovaScience grant of $63,000 from the Ministère de l’innovation et de l’économie (MEI) in 2021 for a project that seeks to equip primary and secondary school teachers to better integrate exoplanets and astronomy into their classrooms and the provincial educational program.