History

Killam Trusts officially launches with its endowment to five Canadian universities and the Canada Council.

Canada Council Killam Research Fellowships launch. The following year, nine fellowships were awarded to researchers from seven Canadian universities.

Colette Carisse, professor at the University of Montreal, is the first woman to be awarded a Killam Research Fellowship from the Canada Council. Her research was focused on family and women.

Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Prizes at the Canada Council (now the “Canada Council Killam Prizes”) begins, covering: Health Sciences, Natural Sciences and Engineering.

Dr. Brenda Milner, one of the world’s most celebrated neuroscientists, is the first woman to receive a Killam Prize — this one in Health Sciences.

Dr. Michael Smith  (left), Killam Professor and Killam Research Prize recipient at UBC, receives the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The MNI (now The Neuro. Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) launches the Killam Seminar Series, showcasing speakers whose research is of great interest to the scientific community.

The Canada Council Killam Prize is increased from $75,000 to $100,000 and expanded to cover “the range of academic endeavour” across Canada.

The Killam Prizes add two new categories — Humanities and Social Sciences — to the original three — Health Sciences, Natural Sciences and Engineering — bringing the total to five.

The second edition of the biography of Izaak Walton Killam, A Very Private Person, is published, shining a light on Dorothy J. Killam.

The Killam Trusts approaches $400 million in market value – about the size of England’s Rhodes Trust, and close to Sweden’s Nobel Foundation.

The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, begins hosting the Canada Council Killam Prize awards at Rideau Hall, and continues until the end of his tenure as Governor General in 2017.

CBC Radio IDEAS host, Paul Kennedy, first participates in a Killam symposium and starts interviewing Canada Council Killam Prize winners. New host Nahlah Ayed continues the tradition in 2019 and 2020.

Dr. Arthur B. McDonald, winner of the 2010 Canada Council Killam Prize in Natural Sciences and a Canada Council Killam Research Fellowship in 1998, receives the Nobel Prize in Physics.

At its 50th Anniversary, the Killam endowments stand at $460 million. The Killam Trusts Impact Review is published. George Cooper steps down as Trustee after serving for 34 years (24 as Managing Trustee) marking the longest term held by a Killam Trustee.

The University of Alberta implements its new Killam Accelerator Research Awards, valued at $75,000 per year — to target an underserved group of worthy researchers — following the recommendations of the 2017 Impact Review initiated by the Killam Trusts.

Dr. Milner has been a Dorothy J. Killam Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at The Neuro since 1993 and still a wonderful mentor.

The Right Honourable David Johnston, former Governor General of Canada, becomes the official Chair of the Canada Council Killam Prize ceremony.

The Killam Trusts relaunches its vision, mission and values to remind the world about its focus on research excellence, innovation, humanity and multidisciplinary collaboration.

The Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship at the University of British Columbia is intended to support exceptional early career researchers across all disciplines who have the potential for significant impact in their field of scholarship and are ready to launch the next stage of their career. 

The Canada Council for the Arts announced that it will transition administration of the national Killam program to the National Research Council Canada (NRC) by March 2022.

At the rate Killam Laureates are progressing in medical science, we envision a day when they will lead the way preventing global pandemics.

The 2023 National Killam Program cycle launches under the administration of the National Research Council of Canada.

The National Killam Program announces the 2023 Killam Prize winners and the first rebranded Dorothy Killam Fellowship winners.

Artificial intelligence is being deployed to solve equations on a global scale, and the world’s water supply is an increasingly urgent problem in the queue.

The next frontier could be well within reach for Killam Laureates already deeply engaged in post-graduate astrophysics.

As Killam Laureates continue to break barriers in medicine and cancer research, significant developments are on the horizon.

Imagine a world where a robot acquires the brilliance, curiosity, drive, global awareness and commitment of a Killam Laureate.