Laboratories Canada and women in science advancing together

As part of Budget 2018, the Government of Canada launched Laboratories Canada, a long-term strategy to strengthen federal science by investing in leading-edge research facilities across the country. The goal of the strategy is to replace outdated federal laboratories and equip federal scientists with the modern facilities and tools they need to collaborate more effectively with their partners, including academia and the private sector.

Laboratories Canada is a partnership between Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). The strategy plays an important role in collaboration with the federal science community to plan, design and deliver multi-purpose, multi-departmental modern science infrastructure.

As Senior Director of Science and Technical Services for Laboratories Canada, Cathryn Bjerkelund has seen first-hand the benefits and opportunities that the strategy is bringing to the federal science community. “Laboratories Canada will support the delivery of modern, innovative and collaborative world-class science facilities throughout Canada,” she explains.

Enhancing collaboration is a key objective of the strategy, although modernization is equally important. Many federal laboratories are outdated, unable to meet the needs of science programs, and lacking up-to-date tools for scientists to complete their work in the service of Canada and Canadians. “Having the right infrastructure and transforming how government plans, develops and delivers the real property related to science is a critical component to enabling science excellence,” adds Bjerkelund.

This will be achieved through the involvement of scientists in developing new federal facilities. “What makes this strategy so unique is that we really have an opportunity to change the way we support those who do science, and the way we deliver on science in terms of the infrastructure. We have the opportunity to influence and change how scientists work, to think differently, and to make it far more collaborative,” she says.

Scientists from 15 federal departments and agencies are involved in the design and development of a collaborative laboratory environment. This approach ensures that scientists who come from common disciplines will be able to share the same facilities. “Laboratories Canada is all about moving away from working in departmental silos towards more horizontal collaboration and innovation,” she adds.

Women and science

Bjerkelund has been in the scientific sector for several decades and has seen many changes in that time. “When I started my career 40 years ago as a bench scientist, I did field work and there were very few women. Sometimes, I was the only one.” She has definitely noticed an increase in the number of women in scientific fields. She is also aware of a growing number of women becoming world-class science leaders, “especially in what we call the STEM disciplines,” she mentions, in reference to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

In fact, women are well represented within Laboratories Canada as project directors, architects, engineers and policy leaders. “I think Laboratories Canada demonstrates true gender diversity within its organizational structure,” she says.

Bjerkelund seized the opportunity to join Laboratories Canada “to contribute to something real! This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give back not only to the science community, but to all Canadians,” she insists with a smile.

All about collaboration

The first phase of the Laboratories Canada strategy revolves around the development of 5 science hubs that support collaborative science: regulatory and security science (RSS), health and safety and a low-carbon economy (TerraCanada), transportation safety and technology science (TSTS), cultural heritage science (CHS), and the Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre (ASEC). “The creation of hubs enhances efficiency and effectiveness, and ensures the facilities support science plans,” Bjerkelund indicates.

Laboratories Canada facilities will bring together federal scientists and researchers with their partners to solve challenges, build knowledge and spark innovation.

Visit Laboratories Canada to learn more about this important strategy.

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