Canadian Colleges & Universities Receive $120M+ in Post-Secondary Funding

Canada is devoted to supporting its colleges and universities to develop skilled workers, act as engines of discovery, and collaborate with Canadian companies to increase global competitiveness. Four Canadian colleges and universities have received federal government funding in efforts to renew and update state-of-the-art facilities, labs, and modern learning spaces that are critical for skills development and innovation.

Memorial University, the University of Ottawa, Mohawk College, and Western University have received over $120,000,000 in funding from the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund.

The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund was a Canada-wide program that provided funding for infrastructure projects at post-secondary institutions. Supported projects endeavoured to improve and revolutionise research and commercialization facilities as well as industry-relevant training facilities at colleges and polytechnic institutions in Canada.

$120M+ in Post-Secondary Funding Awarded for Infrastructure Development

Memorial University, the University of Ottawa, Mohawk College, and Western University are recipients of funding from the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. These schools’ projects are among 300 initiatives that received a collective $2 billion in post-secondary funding to renew university and college campuses across the country, re-develop state-of-the-art facilities, and advance research and innovation in Canada.

The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund is investing over $120M to help four Canadian colleges and universities renew their grounds and facilities.

The four campuses and their awarded projects include:

Memorial University

Memorial University is Newfoundland and Labrador’s only university, with more than 18,000 students from over 100 counties around the world.

Memorial University has received over $4,000,000 from the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund.

The funding supported the redevelopment of the University’s Battery Facility, which meant relocating four innovation centres from the main campus to create a provincial innovation and public engagement hub. This facility upgrade led to a collaboration space that will enable the partnership of academia, the community, and the industry, and created settings for long-term growth for future generations.

University of Ottawa

In the heart of Canada’s capital, the University of Ottawa is the world’s largest bilingual (English-French) university in the world.

The University of Ottawa has received an investment of over $51M in infrastructure development.

The federal government funding went towards the construction of a campus STEM Complex innovation hub. The Complex was built according to the most advanced environmental standards to support Canada’s goals to target climate change and sustainability. The hub also supports entrepreneurship activities by providing researchers and students with direct access to critical business development knowledge.

“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. This means making Canada a world leader in turning ideas into solutions, science into technologies, skills into jobs and start-up companies into global successes.”
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

Mohawk College

Mohawk College is a public college of applied arts and technology located in Hamilton, Ontario.

Mohawk College has received $20M in funding for innovation through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund.

The funding was used to build the Joyce Centre for Partnership and Innovation. This new facility provides a space for students and staff to focus on their research strengths in the areas of energy, technology, and health. The zero-footprint building will be a key driver to the development and success of Hamilton’s Economic Development Strategy.

Western University

Western University in London, Ontario, has 12 faculties and three affiliated university colleges, offering its 36,000-plus students more than 400 specializations, majors, and minors.

Western University has been awarded $45M in federal government funding for infrastructure development.

The funding supports construction of the Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB), a vital element to focus in on strategic priorities like innovation, commercialization, and technology transfer. The facility will be a base for the University’s first multi-disciplinary Cluster of Research Excellence, the Cognitive Neuroscience (CNS), which will include the Brain and Mind Institute and the Rotman Institute of Philosophy.

The award will also help realize the Three C+ Innovation Centre, which will allow researchers from multiple backgrounds and industries to collaborate in four research areas:

• Sustainability, Environment, Resiliency, and Adaptive Systems;
• Biomedical Engineering;
• Innovative Materials and Biomaterials; and
• Ubiquitous Information and Communication.

Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund: Funding for Innovation & Infrastructure Development

The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund provided funding for infrastructure projects at post-secondary institutions across Canada. The program supported projects that improved:

• The scale or quality of facilities and commercialization spaces for research and innovation;
• The scale or quality of facilities for specialized training at colleges focused on industry needs; and
• The environmental sustainability of research and innovation-related infrastructure at post-secondary institutions and college training infrastructure.

The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund provides up 50% of eligible project costs.

Institutions eligible for this federal government funding included colleges, universities, CEGEPs, publicly-funded polytechnic schools, and institutes of technology.

The Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund closed April 2018 and has not yet confirmed if the program will reopen.

Canadian professionals interested in learning about other federal government funding programs designed to support post-secondary research and innovation, are encouraged are encouraged to register for Mentor Works’ Weekly Funding E-Newsletter.