Strengthening research excellence in priority areas serving Canadians
Through Laboratories Canada, the Government of Canada is providing federal scientists with world-class, innovative and collaborative facilities to ensure they can keep pace with the transformative changes facing science today and into the future.
Today, the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, announced $58.9 million in investments to support new laboratory space for the National Research Council of Canada and Natural Resources Canada's centres of expertise for advanced materials in Mississauga and Hamilton. The new facilities will support collaborative deployment of materials acceleration platforms (MAPs), a new approach to clean energy materials discovery and development, their scale-up and their commercialization, all of which will help Canada meet its emission reduction targets and grow the clean energy and manufacturing sectors.
Construction at the Hamilton laboratory facility is expected to be completed in May 2021 while construction at the Mississauga facility is expected to be completed in summer 2023.
The Laboratories Canada strategy aims to provide federal scientists with leading-edge, green, collaborative facilities to position Canada to be at the forefront of new discoveries and delivering on research priorities, while supporting Canadian jobs. Additional Laboratories Canada sites across the country will be announced over the coming months.
Quotes
"Science plays a crucial role in improving the lives of Canadians. Providing modern, sustainable and collaborative facilities will best position our scientists and researchers to tackle the critical challenges of our time, including health protection, sustainable resource development and transportation safety."
The Honourable Anita Anand
Minister of Public Services and Procurement
"Supporting science and the important work of federal researchers is a priority for our government. Our long-term vision for Laboratories Canada is to provide modern collaborative facilities where Canada's most creative minds can come together to solve today's biggest challenges and make the discoveries of the future. With these investments, federal scientists will be better equipped to collaborate with diverse talent from academia and industry across Canada."
The Honourable François‑Philippe Champagne
Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry
"Laboratories are where the next generation of Canadian scientists find solutions to tomorrow's problems. Supporting science creates jobs. Science drives innovation, lowers emissions and builds renewables. Science gets us to net-zero."
The Honourable Seamus O'Regan
Minister of Natural Resources
"Shared Services Canada is pleased to support Laboratories Canada by providing modern IM/IT services to meet the Government of Canada's evolving science and technology needs. SSC empowers the federal science community through information technology, data management, and collaboration services that are secure, reliable and easy to use. We're working closely with Laboratories Canada to plan and deliver IM/IT infrastructure and services for new laboratories and science hubs."
The Honourable Joyce Murray
Minister of Digital Government
Quick facts
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The laboratories in Mississauga and Hamilton will support the TerraCanada science and innovation hub, which will focus on three sciences priorities: sustainable land and resource development; a low-carbon economy; and the safety and health of Canadians.
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The facilities present an opportunity to partner with leading artificial intelligence research organizations, academia, other government departments, and industry partners to serve the clean energy, transportation, manufacturing, and other industry sectors.
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MAPs are a potentially revolutionary, artificial intelligence-driven, robotic technology with the demonstrated potential to reduce the time required to discover and develop clean energy materials by a factor of 10. These MAPs will be applied to materials for hydrogen, battery, carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies, and other important areas.
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The government has consulted with federal scientists to ensure they are engaged throughout this long-term plan, and federal scientists will be playing a key role in shaping the design of their new facilities.
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About Laboratories Canada
- Laboratories Canada is a 25-year strategy that will deliver on its vision to strengthen federal science in Canada. Budget 2018 launched the first phase of this strategy with an investment of $2.8 billion to support federal scientists with the important work they do for Canada.
- The first phase also included the development of five science hubs across the country that will support science program synergies in the context of security and regulation; health and safety; resource management and a low-carbon economy; transportation safety; cultural heritage and preservation; and the protection and sustainability of Atlantic fresh water and coastal ecosystems.
- To date, over $146.6 million in investments have been made as part of the first phase of the Laboratories Canada strategy to renovate or replace outdated federal laboratories and equip federal scientists with the modern facilities and tools they need to better collaborate with their partners, including academia and the private sector.
- Public Services and Procurement Canada and its partners continue to advance planning and work on other Laboratories Canada locations, including the Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre project in Moncton, New Brunswick. This Centre will modernize and expand the existing heritage structure to facilitate collaboration and bring together federal scientists and external parties to collectively advance coastal aquatic ecosystem research.
