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The Sandford Fleming Building is just one of the U of T Engineering facilities that received funding through a major investment from the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. (Image: Neil Ta)

A major investment through the Lab Innovation for Toronto (LIFT) project will accelerate infrastructure improvements across U of T Engineering, catalyzing world-class research and enhancing the student experience.

The funding was announced today U of T President Meric Gertler with Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan and Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains. It includes contributions from the federal government through its Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. A total investment of $31.6 million will support renovations to 89 laboratory facilities. The work will benefit more than 330 U of T Engineering researchers, including professors, graduate students and undergraduate students.

Plans for spaces slated to receive significant infrastructure investment include:

  • Lab space in the Galbraith, Sandford Fleming and the Engineering Annex buildings will be opened up to further enhance collaboration between researchers, both within and across disciplines. Environmental controls will also be upgraded to protect sensitive research equipment.
  • New laboratory equipment, including more fumehoods to increase the number of experiments that can be run simultaneously, will be added to labs at the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry and the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering.
  • The Sustainable Aviation Design Lab at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) will be expanded, enhancing the work of researchers who are reducing emissions and cutting fuel costs in the global aviation industry.

This investment coincides with the ongoing construction of the Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CEIE), the Faculty’s newest building, set to open in 2017. A vibrant hub that will set a new standard for engineering education and research, the CEIE will provide a new home for world-leading institutes such as the Centre for Global Engineering and the Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics. Its design/meet rooms and light fabrication facilities will enable students, professors and industry collaborators to work together across disciplines on complex global challenges and launch new companies to bring their solutions to market.

Learn more about the CEIE.

“This important infrastructure investment will further empower our researchers with world-class facilities as we address pressing global challenges,” said Dean Cristina Amon. “We are grateful to receive this federal infrastructure funding, which will also provide our students with enhanced experiential learning opportunities as we continue to nurture the next generations of engineering leaders.”

In total, the University of Toronto will invest nearly $190 million in renovations to 546 labs, supporting approximately 1,100 researchers and 5,500 students.

Learn more about the Lab Innovation for Toronto (LIFT) announcement.

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