$11.16M investment in infrastructure at the Université du Québec à Montréal will support research and innovation activities

MONTRÉAL – The governments of Canada and Quebec are investing a total of $10.47 million in projects amounting to $11.16 million at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).

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.

“This historic 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,” said Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

The Government of Quebec’s contribution is part of the Québec Infrastructure Plan, which sets out investments in all sectors of the economy, including higher education.

UQAM will use the funding to establish a research area and creative space, as well as a space to merge research and creativity in the visual and media arts in the Judith-Jasmin pavilion, in the very heart of Montréal. This urban hub for disseminating research and showcasing creativity (Centre de diffusion de recherche et de création urbain) at UQAM will be open to the public. It will enable researchers and creators with common goals to interact and share their results and the impact of their work on society. Part of the funding will also go to renovating and equipping a research consultation centre in the annex of the Hubert-Aquin pavilion and upgrading a research data centre.

Of the total $11.16 million being invested in these projects:

• the Government of Canada is providing $5.06 million;
• the Government of Quebec is providing $5.41 million; and
• UQAM and other partners are providing $689,573.

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.

During her visit to UQAM, Minister David also announced an investment to restore the university’s Saint-Jacques bell tower. The Government of Quebec will provide $13.5 million for the completion of this project, which is valued at $15 million. UQAM will round out the funding thanks to an investment of $1.5 million. The Saint-Jacques bell tower, built in 1860, has been designated as an historical monument under the Cultural Property Act.

Quick facts

• The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, and the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, recently announced that the federal government is providing more than $385 million for research infrastructure at institutions throughout Quebec.
• Philippe Couillard, Premier of Quebec, and Hélène David, Minister responsible for Higher Education, recently announced that the Government of Quebec would invest more than $345 million in research infrastructure at post-secondary institutions in Quebec.
• The Université du Québec à Montréal has been awarded $5.06 million in federal funding under the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, as well as a contribution of $5.41 million from the Government of Quebec through the Québec Infrastructure Plan.
• 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.

SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada