The 21,500-square-foot facility in Mississauga’s Sheridan Park will support the development of clean energy technologies and will be home to the Collaboration Centre for Green Energy Materials, a partnership between U of T and NRC (photo courtesy of NRC)

The University of Toronto will play a key role in a new National Research Council of Canada (NRC) advanced research materials facility focused on clean energy.

The new research facility, the NRC’s first in Greater Toronto, will serve as a Canadian clean energy hub that supports research into advanced materials and transitions them to industrial use. It will bring together companies, governments and universities to work on clean tech projects.

The NRC Mississauga facility will also be home to the new Collaboration Centre for Green Energy Materials (CC-GEM) – a partnership between U of T and NRC.

“Tackling the reduction of the environmental footprint of Canadians is a grand challenge that requires bold ideas and collaboration across disciplinary boundaries to solve,” Derek Newton, U of T’s assistant vice-president, innovation, partnerships and entrepreneurship, said during a virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony that took place Monday on Zoom.

“The University of Toronto looks forward to collaborating with the NRC to accelerate the work of U of T’s researchers and training students to achieve new discoveries and apply them to further reduce the environmental impact of the electricity that powers the businesses, homes and vehicles of Canadians and people around the world.”

The CC-GEM joint initiative will be co-led by: U of T Professor Dwight Seferos in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science; U of T Professor Timothy Bender in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering; and Michel Dumoulin, the NRC’s vice-president of engineering.

It will contribute to the green economy and address a range of research areas including more sustainable energy solutions and renewable fuels.

“Sustainably meeting our growing energy needs is one of the most critical challenges we face,” said Christopher Yip, dean of U of T’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “Professor Bender and his multidisciplinary team have a strong track record of success in transforming fundamental insights in chemistry, engineering and materials science into innovative technologies.

“This partnership will catalyze the transformation of these discoveries into innovative products and new business ventures that will power a greener Canadian economy.”

The NRC Mississauga research facility, home to the new Collaboration Centre for Green Energy Materials (CC-GEM), was officially opened during a virtual ribbon cutting ceremony this week (image via Zoom)

“This centre combines the world-class materials science and research capabilities of the University of Toronto and the National Research Council to accelerate the discovery of new materials that will be critical to the next generation of energy technologies,” said Melanie Woodin, dean of U of T’s Faculty of Arts & Science. “This initiative will also help train the scientists and engineers needed for Canada’s clean-tech sector. ”