Investment of $15.74 million in infrastructure at Université de Montréal will support research and innovation activities

News Release

May 29, 2017 – Montréal, Quebec – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

David Lametti, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, today announced an investment that will provide scientists with spaces to enable them to reach their full potential and train the health science professionals of tomorrow.

The Government of Canada is investing $15.74 million in infrastructure at the Université de Montréal. The funding will help the institution continue to innovate and to train health professionals.

Federal funding is 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.

A portion of the funding will enable the Université de Montréal to expand the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre to accommodate about 50 scientists specializing in cellular and molecular therapy and regenerative medicine. Part of this investment will also be used to create a global centre for health and cardiovascular prevention training and to expand the EPIC Centre’s Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention Clinic at the Montreal Heart Institute.

A total of $40.82 million is being invested in these projects:

  • The Government of Canada is providing $15.74 million.
  • The university and other partners are providing $25.08 million.

In total, universities and colleges throughout Quebec will receive nearly $1.1 billion from the Government of Canada, the provincial government, the institutions themselves and private donors.

As a result of these investments in Quebec, 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.

Quotes

“This significant investment by the Government of Canada is a 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.”

– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

“The Government of Canada’s investments in projects like the ones at the Université de Montréal will create good, well-paying jobs that can help the middle class grow and prosper today, while also delivering sustained economic growth for years to come. Through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, we are strengthening the foundation of Canada’s middle class and further establishing the country as a global centre for innovation.”

– David Lametti, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

“The innovations coming out of our impressive network of affiliated institutions affect every health sector and have positive repercussions on the lives of patients and their families. Thanks to the new investments announced today by the Government of Canada, we can continue to carry out this critical work.”

– Guy Breton, Rector, Université de Montréal

“This major investment under the Strategic Investment Fund will help the Montreal Heart Institute remain at the forefront of cardiovascular medicine and play a leadership role in Quebec, Canada and the world. This investment will allow us to improve and modernize infrastructure for prevention—the expansion of the EPIC Centre—for teaching—the creation of a world training centre—and for research—improved clinical and fundamental research spaces. The Montreal Heart Institute is very grateful for the financial support from SIF.”

– Dr. Denis Roy, President and CEO, Montreal Heart Institute

Quick Facts

  • The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, and the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced in December 2016 that the federal government would provide more than $385 million for research infrastructure at institutions throughout Quebec.

  • Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec, and Hélène David, Minister of Higher Education, also announced that the Government of Quebec would invest more than $345 million in research infrastructure at post-secondary institutions in Quebec.

  • The Université de Montréal has been awarded $15.74 million in federal funding under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. The funding announced today is in addition to the federal investment of $98.71 million in the university and its affiliated institutions that was announced on December 16, 2016.

  • 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.

  • Canada’s Innovation and Skills Plan is designed to ensure our country 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.

Associated Links

Contacts

Follow Minister Bains on Twitter: @MinisterISED

Karl W. Sasseville
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

Page details

Date modified: