June 27, 2006
New Edmonton institute among the world’s most technologically advanced research facilities
EDMONTON
Hundreds of Canada’s leading scientists and engineers were on hand last week for the opening of one of the world’s most technologically advanced research facilities — the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT).
The $52.2 million facility is designed to provide the optimal conditions for nano-scale research and to foster collaboration between researchers. It includes a suite of characterization labs that are located in ‘Canada’s quietest space’, which for scientists means a place with ultra-low vibration and minimal acoustical noise or electro-magnetic interference — an environment that is essential for research at the nano scale.
The 20,000 square metre building will be shared by the NRC National Institute for Nanotechnology and the University of Alberta. It will include the NINT Innovation Centre, a research transfer facility where tenants working on commercializing nanotechnology will lease both lab and office space.
Other specialized spaces include: laboratories for chemical and biochemical synthesis and analysis of the material structure at the atomic scale; and a Class 1000 clean room for the production of nano-structured systems. The facility will house more than $40 million of the latest generation of scientific equipment including electron and scanning probe microscopes, and chemical and material analysis instruments. NINT will occupy five floors and the top two floors will be used by the University of Alberta for nanotechnology-related research.
The cost for the NINT portion of the building was $52.2 million. The Government of Alberta provided $40 million for the building as a part of their commitment to the NINT initiative. The remaining funding came from the Government of Canada through the NRC, Western Economic Diversification Canada and Natural Resources Canada.
The National Institute for Nanotechnology conducts advanced research and fosters innovation in support of a new generation of nanotechnology-based firms. Canada’s flagship nanotechnology institute has created a unique multidisciplinary environment which integrates National Research Council (NRC) and the University of Alberta researchers from numerous disciplines.
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