U of A to house $120-million national nanotech centre

By Terese Brasen August 17, 2001 - The federal and Alberta governments today announced the creation of a $120-million National Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Alberta.

The facility will focus on research and development of nanotechnology, a leading-edge, multidisciplinary science that will have profound impacts on everything from health care to computer technology.

The federal government, through the National Research Council, will jointly fund the research centre with the provincial government. Each will contribute $60 million over five years.

Edmonton's nanotech capabilities started several years ago when the University of Alberta's Dr. Michael Brett received joint funding through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Micralyne Inc. The funding--the Micralyne/NSERC Industrial Research Chair--allowed the university to create MicroFab, a unique microfabrication (nano tech) lab.

MicroFab is an open-access facility where industry and university researchers work side by side. Dr. Ken Westra, who directs MicroFab, calls it the machine shop of the 21st century.

Dr. Chris Backhouse, a U of A professor of electrical and computer engineering, is one of many researchers working in the new field. Backhouse is working with medical researchers, like oncologist Dr. Linda Pilarski, to develop a prototype of a microscopic diagnostic tool that can work at the molecular level--a medical lab on a chip.

The institute will take up 20,000 square feet on the sixth floor of the new Electrical and Computer Engineering Research Facility (ECERF). MicroFab will move from its present location in the aging Newton Research Building to occupy another 6,500 square feet in the new building.

"Right now it is bare concrete," U of A Engineering Dean Dr. David Lynch said of the new facility. "The Institute will be in ECERF for the next five years, then it will move into its own building." Lynch is hoping to cut the ribbon on the new 180,000-square-foot nanotech building early in 2005.

Prime Minister Jean Chretien said the institute represents a bright future. "With the creation of this institute, Canada will be poised to play a leading role in this exciting new technology--widely considered to rival the impact of the 19th century industrial revolution," he said.

"I look forward to this institute becoming famous for breakthroughs that will help the patient at the bedside, the country's energy sector, and its computer technology research," added Premier Ralph Klein. "It will also provide unique opportunities for students and researchers at the University of Alberta and from across Canada.

" University of Alberta President Dr. Rod Fraser said the new institute takes advantage of the U of A's existing strengths in nanotechnology, engineering, medicine and computing science. The institute aims to be " internationally competitive with the nanotechnology clusters being created in the United States, Europe and Asia," Fraser said. "Our target is to be among the top five nanotechnology initiatives in the world."

The centre will also make enormous economic waves. Experts predict the nanotechnology field will have an economic impact of $1 trillion per year in the next 10 ? 15 years. So it's no surprise Economic Development Edmonton had been lobbying for the centre.

John Martin, who manages the Edmonton Research Park for the EDE, estimates the centre will directly employ several hundred workers independent of the NRC or U of A. The world market for microsystem devices alone could range from $8 - $34 billion in 2002. "The institute will catalyze a profound structural change in the region that might otherwise take longer to achieve," said Martin.

Fraser says the announcement positions the U of A as a global leader. "University research and knowledge have become integral to economic prosperity," he said. "The new institute gives us the tools to become outstanding competitors in the new knowledge-based global economy."