Government of Canada invests in post-secondary infrastructure at Concordia University of Edmonton
News Release
$6.72-million investment will create jobs, expand research and foster innovation
December 22, 2016 – Edmonton, Alberta – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
The Government of Canada values how post-secondary institutions equip young Canadians with the education and training they need for future careers that will help them join a strong, healthy middle class. Today's $6.72-million investment will help Concordia University of Edmonton build the facilities it needs to train its students for the well-paying middle-class jobs of today and tomorrow.
The funding was announced by the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
Canada's Innovation Agenda aims to make this country a global centre for innovation—one that creates jobs, drives growth across all industries and improves the lives of all Canadians. This investment exemplifies that vision in action.
Concordia University of Edmonton is receiving funding for two projects: the construction of the new Centre for Science, Research and Innovation; and the renewal and renovation of labs in the Department of Biological and Environmental Science.
The university will use a federal investment of $6.55 million to create the new Centre for Science, Research and Innovation. This facility will house the Edmonton Institute for Community Research as well as research labs, incubators for industry and a centre for social and scientific research that focuses on indigenous issues. The new facility will serve as a central hub for innovation by enabling interdisciplinary research, collaborations with international researchers, the commercialization of innovative technologies and the promotion of knowledge transfer.
An additional investment of close to $175,000 will allow the university to renovate and renew the biology and environmental science laboratories and improve existing bio-containment capacity and laboratory facilities to better support research in environmental science, limnology, cell biology and molecular biology. These laboratory renovations will enable enhanced research opportunities and hands-on experience for researchers and students.
In addition to the federal contribution, Concordia University of Edmonton is investing a total of $9.19 million in these two projects.
In total, universities and colleges throughout Alberta will receive over $500 million from the Government of Canada, the provincial government, the institutions themselves and private donors. Federal funding will be allocated through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, which will enhance and modernize research facilities on Canadian campuses and improve the environmental sustainability of these facilities.
As a result of these investments, students, professors and researchers will work in state-of-the-art facilities that advance the country's best research. They will collaborate in specially designed spaces that support lifelong learning and skills training. They will work in close proximity with partners to turn discoveries into products or services. In the process, they will train for—and create—the high-value, middle-class jobs of the future. And their discoveries will plant the seeds for the next generation of innovators.
That is how the Strategic Investment Fund will jump-start a virtuous circle of innovation, creating the right conditions for long-term growth that will yield benefits for generations to come.
Quotes
"This once-in-a-generation investment by the Government of Canada is a historic down payment on the government's vision to position Canada as a global centre for innovation. That means making Canada a world leader in turning ideas into solutions, science into technologies, skills into middle-class jobs and start-up companies into global successes. This investment will create conditions that are conducive to innovation and long-term growth, which will in turn keep the Canadian economy globally competitive."
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
"Encouraging scientific awareness in Alberta and across Canada depends on supporting our world-class scientists and researchers. Through the Strategic Investment Fund, we are strengthening the foundation for scientific excellence in Canada. We are helping to foster new discoveries and to get those discoveries into the hands of people and markets around the world."
– The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
"Our existing research facilities impose severe limits on Concordia University of Edmonton's ability to attain its research potential. This new facility will provide us with the opportunity to continue to develop innovative technologies, promote knowledge transfer and grow our students' research and entrepreneurship skills in order to help stimulate and diversify Alberta's economy."
– Dr. Gerald Krispin, President, Concordia University of Edmonton
Quick facts
- The Government of Canada is providing more than $225 million for research infrastructure at institutions across Alberta.
- The Government of Canada's Innovation Agenda is designed to ensure Canada is globally competitive in promoting research, translating ideas into new products and services, accelerating business growth and propelling entrepreneurs from the start-up phase to international success.
- The targeted, short-term investments under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund will promote economic activity across Canada and help Canada's universities and colleges develop highly skilled workers, act as engines of discovery, and collaborate on innovations that help Canadian companies compete and grow internationally.
- The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund supports the Government of Canada's climate change objectives by encouraging sustainable and green infrastructure projects.
Associated links
- Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund website
- Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund backgrounder
- Innovation Agenda backgrounder
Follow Minister Bains on social media.
Twitter: @MinisterISED
Contacts
Philip Proulx
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
343-291-2500
Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
343-291-1777
ic.mediarelations-mediasrelations.ic@canada.ca
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