Leah Cowen

Institute of Biomedical Engineering

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Sinai Health

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Unity Health

Cell and Systems Biology

Anthropology

Astronomy & Astrophysics

Biochemistry

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Chemistry

Computer Science

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Hospital for Sick Children

Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Mathematics

Physics

Psychology

University Health Network

UTIAS

Subheadline

From better batteries to preventing memory loss, nearly four dozen projects at �鶹��Ƶ and its partner hospitals are being supported by the Ontario Research Fund

Researchers in the University of Toronto’s Thermal Management Systems (TMS) Laboratory are working to improve the way battery systems handle heat and develop structural battery pack components. 

“Whether they are being used for electric vehicles or for stationary energy storage systems that reduce strain on the grid, lithium-ion batteries are transforming the way we use electricity,” said Carlos Da Silva, senior research associate at the TMS Lab in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and executive director of �鶹��Ƶ’s Electrification Hub.

“Unfortunately, today’s batteries are still sensitive to temperature: if they get too cold or too hot, it can degrade their performance and even present safety risks. We are working on new technologies that make batteries more resilient to thermal fluctuations.”

The battery-related research is among nearly four dozen projects at �鶹��Ƶ and its partner hospitals that are receiving almost $35 million in support through the Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence (ORF-RE) and the Ontario Research Fund – Small Infrastructure (ORF-SIF). (See the full list of projects and their principal researchers below).

"Research at the University of Toronto and at all universities and colleges across Ontario is the foundation of the province’s competitiveness now and in the future,” said Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“This investment protects and advances cutting-edge, made-in-Ontario research in important economic sectors and helps ensure universities can continue to train, attract and retain the world’s top talent."

At �鶹��Ƶ Engineering’s TMS Lab, researchers led by Cristina Amon, a University Professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering, are working on two funded projects. They are developing advanced computational modelling and digital twin methodologies that predict and optimize how heat flows through battery packs. The methodologies are carefully calibrated and validated through industry-relevant experiments in the lab.

Senior Research Associate Carlos Da Silva, left, and University Professor Cristina Amon, right, chat in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering's Thermal Management Systems Laboratory (photo by Aaron Demeter)

These methodologies will help battery designers anticipate and prevent thermal management challenges before they arise. It can also enable them to optimize the design and deployment of fire mitigation measures, such as ultra-thin heat barriers, within their battery systems.

The team is also collaborating with Ford Canada and several other companies in the energy storage space. For example, they have worked with Jule (powered by eCAMION) on the development of direct current electric vehicle fast chargers with integrated battery energy storage systems, one of which was recently unveiled on the �鶹��Ƶ campus.

“We are grateful for this ORF-RE funding, which will accelerate our research and help us further expand our partnerships, ensuring that battery thermal innovations have a seamless transition from the lab to the marketplace,” Amon said.

“As a result of this work, the next generation of batteries will be safer and more resilient than ever before, which is especially important in colder climates like ours here in Ontario.” 

Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence:

Cristina Amon in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Powering Ontario’s grid transformation and electric vehicle fast charging with thermally resilient battery energy storage & Next-gen electric vehicle battery systems: Lightweight, thermally performant and fire safe for all climates
Morgan Barense in the department of psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science – HippoCamera: Digital memory rehabilitation to combat memory loss
Aimy Bazylak in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering – RECYCLEAN: Critical minerals recycling & re-manufacturing for the energy transition
Ian Connell at University Health Network and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – MRI-compatible innovations for neuromodulation
Simon Graham at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Technological innovations for clinical MRI of the brain at 7 tesla
Clinton Groth in the Institute for Aerospace Studies in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Hydrogen as a sustainable aviation fuel – combustion research to remove impediments to adoption in gas turbine engines
James Kennedy at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the department of psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Clinical utility and enhancements of a pharmacogenomic decision support tool for mental health patients
Shaf Keshavjee at University Health Network and the department of surgery in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Advanced solutions to human lung preservation and assessment using artificial intelligence
Aviad Levis in the department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science – AI and quantum enhanced astronomy
JoAnne McLaurin at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of laboratory medicine & pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Conversion of astrocytes to neurons to treat neurodegenerative diseases of the brain and the eye
R. J. Dwayne Miller in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science – PicoSecond InfraRed Laser (PIRL) “cancer knife” with complete biodiagnostics via spatial imaging mass spectrometry
Javad Mostaghimi in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – A new generation of compact, transportable mass spectrometers for rapid, in-field sample analysi
Xiao Yu (Shirley) Wu in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy – Molecular dynamics modeling and screening of excipients for designing amorphous solid dispersion formulations of poorly–soluble drugs

Ontario Research Fund – Small Infrastructure Fund:

Celina Baines in the department of ecology & evolutionary biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Impacts of environmental change on organismal movement
Sergio de la Barrera in the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Facility for quantum materials and device assembly from atomically thin van der Waals layers
Michelle Bendeck in the department of laboratory medicine & pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – 4D quantitative cardiovascular physiology centre
Laurent Bozec in the department of laboratory medicine & pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – 21st Century challenge for Dentistry: Breaking the cycle of irreversible dental tissue loss
Mark Chiew at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Next generation computational MRI for rapid neuroimaging and image-guided therapy
Haissi Cui in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science – A molecule to mouse approach to study the intracellular localization of genetic code interpretation in mammalian cells
Andy Kin On DeVeale at the University Health Network and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – Sarcopenia and musculoskeletal interactions (sami) collaborative hub
Ali Dolatabadi in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Advanced cold spray facility
Spencer Freeman at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Imaging biophysical determinants of the innate immune response
Liisa Galea at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Institute of Medical Science in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Sex and sex-specific factors influencing brain health across the lifespan
Maged Goubran at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – AI platform for mapping, tracking and predicting circuit alterations in Alzheimer’s disease
Eitan Grinspun in the departments of computer science and department of mathematics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – A computer graphics perspective on entanglement of slender structures
Levon Halabelian in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Enabling a high-throughput drug discovery pipeline for targeting disease-related human proteins
Ziqing Hong in the department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Ultra-sensitive cryogenic detector development for dark matter and neutrino experiments
Eno Hysi at the Unity Health Toronto and the department of medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Structural and functional assessments of diabetic skin microvasculature using photoacoustic imaging
Lewis Kay in the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Helium recovery system for the biomolecular NMR facility
Xiang Li in the department of chemistry and the department of physic in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Real-time multi-faceted probes of quantum materials
Qian Lin in the department of cell & systems biology in the Faculty of Arts & Science – 2p-RAM for whole-brain single-neuron imaging of behaving zebrafish to study neural mechanisms of cognitive behaviours
Xilin Liu in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Integrated circuits for wireless brain implants with multi-modal neural interfaces
Stephen Lye at the Sinai Health System and the department of physiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI) analytics platform
Caitlin Maikawa in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Biointerfacing materials for drug delivery lab
Emma Master in the department of chemical engineering & applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Accelerating biomanufacturing innovation through enhanced capacity for scale-up and downstream bioprocess engineering
Roman Melnyk at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – The H-SCREEN: A platform for high throughput and high content imaging-based small molecule screens for disease modulation
Juan Mena-Parra in the department of astronomy & astrophysics in the Faculty of Arts & Science – An advanced laboratory to enable novel radio telescopes for cosmology and time-domain astrophysics
Seyed Mohamad Moosavi in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Machine learning for nanoporous materials design
Enid Montague in the department of mechanical & industrial engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Automation and equity in healthcare laboratory
Michael Norris in the department of biochemistry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Infrastructure for structural and functional virology research hub
Amaya Perez-Brumer in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health – 3P lab: Centering power, privilege and positionality for health equity research
Monica Ramsey in the department of anthropology at the University of Toronto Mississauga – Ramsey Laboratory for Environmental Archaeology (RLEA): How human-environment interactions shaped plant-food
Arneet Saltzman in the department of cell & systems biology in the in the Faculty of Arts & Science – Heterochromatin regulation in development and inheritance
Mina Tadrous in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy – Developing a centre for real-world evidence to improve the use of medications for Canadians
Shurui Zhou in the department of electrical & computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Improving collaboration efficiency for fork-based software development
Olena Zhulyn at the Hospital for Sick Children and the department of molecular genetics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine – Targeting translation for tissue regeneration and repair
Christoph Zrenner at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering – Next-generation real-time closed-loop personalized neurostimulation

�鶹��Ƶ’s Geoffrey Hinton delivers Nobel lecture alongside co-laureate

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 20:48:27 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ’s Geoffrey Hinton delivers Nobel lecture alongside co-laureate

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 12/09/2024 - 15:48

Cutline

�鶹��Ƶ's Geoffrey Hinton, left, and John J. Hopfield of Princeton University, right, who share the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, shake hands after their Nobel lectures in Stockholm (photo by Pontus Lundahl/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

Artificial Intelligence

Computer Science

Subheadline

In Stockholm for a series of Nobel Week events, the “godfather of AI” will officially accept his Nobel Prize in Physics at a ceremony on Dec. 10

The University of Toronto’s Geoffrey Hinton took to the stage at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm this weekend – two days before he officially accepts his Nobel Prize in Physics for fundamental work in AI – to deliver a lecture on the inventions and discoveries that led to him being given the prestigious award.

“Today, I’m going to do something very foolish – I’m going to try and describe a complicated technical idea for a general audience, without using any equations,” said Hinton, a �鶹��Ƶ University Professor emeritus of computer science, prompting laughter from the audience.

The “godfather of AI” then proceeded to outline how decades of his fundamental research, and that of his co-laureate John J. Hopfield of Princeton University, enabled the development of artificial neural networks and machine learning – technologies that underpin today’s AI revolution.

The Nobel lectures are among the highlights of Nobel Week, which runs from Dec. 6-12 in Stockholm and Oslo and includes award ceremonies, banquets, media engagements and commemorations at the Nobel Museum. There is also a series of Nobel Week events taking place at �鶹��Ƶ, including watch parties on all three campuses for the livestream of the Dec. 10 award ceremony.

Sunday’s first Nobel Prize lecture in physics was delivered by Hopfield, who shared how his fascination with the workings of the human brain inspired his development of the Hopfield network – an associative memory that can store and reconstruct patterns in data.

“How mind emerges from brain is, to me, the deepest question posed by our humanity,” Hopfield said.

When it was Hinton’s turn to take the stage, he described how he and Terry Sejnowski – one of Hopfield’s students – came upon a novel use of Hopfield nets: “Instead of using them to store memories, we could use them to construct interpretations of sensory input,” Hinton said.

He then went on to discuss the resulting Boltzmann machine, a type of neural network that is capable of recognizing elements within data.

Hinton discusses the significance of the Boltzmann machine (photo by �鶹��Ƶ staff)

Yet, despite its promise, the original Boltzmann machine was too slow, Hinton said, and it wasn’t until several years later that he came up with “restricted Boltzmann machines,” which impose limitations on connections between neurons in order to increase system efficiency – a development that would prove pivotal in training deep neural networks (Hinton donated an early Boltzmann chip, about the size of a postage stamp, to the Nobel Prize Museum).

Following the lecture, Hinton was joined on stage by Hopfield, with the pair sharing a vigorous handshake and posing for photos.

�鶹��Ƶ brought together a panel of experts in Stockholm to discuss AI research and development (photo by Jonas Borg)

Separately, �鶹��Ƶ convened an expert panel in Stockholm on Monday about the direction of AI research and development.

Moderated by Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, the panel included: Eyal de Lara, a professor and chair of the department of computer science in �鶹��Ƶ’s Faculty of Arts & Science; David Lie, director of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and a professor in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering; Tony Gaffney, president and CEO of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence; and Amy Loutfi, professor of computer science and pro-vice-chancellor for AI at Örebro University in Sweden.

The conversation touched on areas including the promising applications of AI, how responsible deployment of AI can mitigate the technology’s potential pitfalls and implications of AI’s rise on education.

�鶹��Ƶ President Meric Gertler said that the AI breakthroughs fostered by Hinton’s research were made possible by Canada’s longstanding support of basic research.

“Geoff was interested in the novel but unproven concept of artificial neural networks, an area that was sometimes described as the ‘unpromising backwater’ of AI research,” President Gertler said in his remarks introducing the panel, noting that Hinton joined �鶹��Ƶ in 1987 and was one of the first scholars to receive support from the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR).

“Canada was investing in brilliant people, their ideas and their students – and those investments have paid off many years later.”

Canada was also the first country to launch a national AI roadmap, President Gertler said, in the form of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy – which funds three national AI institutes including the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, which is now housed in �鶹��Ƶ’s new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus. The state-of-the-art building also hosts the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, which is at the forefront of research and thought leadership on AI safety and responsible development, with Hinton one of its advisory board members.

“In short, Canada has played a key role in launching and driving the AI revolution and we’re a world leader in understanding and promoting safe, human-centred AI,” President Gertler said.

The theme of responsible AI was also brought up during a Q-and-A with Hinton, who revealed that the remarkable information-sharing abilities of large language models played a big role in sparking his now oft-repeated concerns around the current pace of the technology’s development.

“That’s when I came to realize that the fact that they’re so much better at sharing probably means that digital intelligence is just a better form of intelligence than us – and that’s what got me so worried,” he said.

Asked what responsible AI regulation looks like, Hinton said there must first be a consensus around solving the problem from a scientific standpoint – not unlike the scientific consensus that has emerged around climate change.

“Like the early days of climate change, the first thing to do is figure out what’s causing it and get scientific agreement on how you can fix it. Then, the second thing to do is get the politicians to do something about it … but here, we haven’t finished the first thing yet.”

Geoffrey Hinton shares 2024 VinFuture Grand Prize for work on deep learning

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 19:32:41 +0000

Geoffrey Hinton shares 2024 VinFuture Grand Prize for work on deep learning

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 12/06/2024 - 14:32

Cutline

(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

Artificial Intelligence

Awards

Computer Science

Geoffrey Hinton

Vector Institute

Subheadline

Known as the "godfather of AI," Hinton was one of five people honoured with the US$3-million prize awarded by Vietnam's VinFuture Foundation

Geoffrey Hinton, University Professor emeritus of computer science at the University of Toronto and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, has added another prestigious award to his collection: the 2024 VinFuture Grand Prize.

The US$3-million prize, awarded by the not-for-profit VinFuture Foundation in Vietnam, recognizes seminal scientific advancements that are improving the quality of human life and forging a more equitable and sustainable world.

Hinton, known as the “godfather of AI,” shares the prize with Yoshua Bengio, Jen-Hsun (Jensen) Huang, Yann LeCun and Fei-Fei Li. The five are honoured for their contributions to the development and adoption of deep learning, which is revolutionizing fields ranging from biomedical research and transportation to manufacturing, clean energy and agriculture.

“The University of Toronto couldn’t be more proud of University Professor Emeritus Geoff Hinton,” said Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “When Geoff arrived at �鶹��Ƶ nearly 40 years ago, his research into neural networks – influenced by his ideas about how the brain learns – was considered an AI backwater, if it was considered at all.

“Fast-forward to today, and his seminal work is transforming our world in ways that we’ve only begun to grasp. This award is a testament to the power of curiosity-driven research – and the impact of investing in brilliant, curious researchers.”

The VinFuture Foundation noted that Hinton and Bengio – a professor at the Université de Montréal – were awarded the prize for their research on neural networks and deep learning algorithms. LeCun, the chief AI scientist for Facebook AI Research who was one of Hinton’s post-doctoral students at �鶹��Ƶ in the1980s, was recognized for helping develop convolutional neural networks for computer vision. Huang, the co-founder and CEO of NVIDIA, was recognized for his work on computational architectures for deep learning and accelerated computing, while Li, a professor at Stanford University, was celebrated for contributions to computer vision and large-scale image recognition.

In a video message, Hinton, an adviser at �鶹��Ƶ’s Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society who is also co-founder and chief scientific adviser at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Toronto, said he was honoured to share the award with such an esteemed group of researchers – including his fellow A.M Turing Award-winners Bengio and LeCun.

“The three of us spent our whole lives developing the technology of neural networks,” Hinton said in remarks that noted the collective nature of the achievement.

“I’m very happy to see that the VinFuture Prize recognizes the contributions of Jensen Huang in developing the kind of compute and software required for artificial intelligence, and Fei-Fei Li in providing the big data that was needed to prove that it worked.”

Now in its fourth year, the VinFuture Prize was created with the goal of celebrating scientific and technological innovations that are aligned with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which include poverty alleviation, renewable energy, ending hunger and improving health.

Friday’s award ceremony was attended by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and distinguished leaders, scientists and diplomats from around the world. It was broadcast live on Vietnamese television and streamed online.

“It’s terrific to see this recognition of Geoff’s extraordinary work and its potential to help address some of the world’s greatest challenges,” said Cowen. “Researchers around the globe – including a number of his former students – are using AI to help solve some of the most pressing challenges of our time in areas such as health care, sustainability and climate change.”

The prize comes as Hinton prepares to officially accept his Nobel Prize in Physics in Sweden on Dec. 10. He shared the Nobel with John J. Hopfield of Princeton University for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks.

Hinton, who joined �鶹��Ƶ in 1987 after working in universities in the U.K. and U.S., has said that he plans to leverage his growing fame to spread awareness of the dangers of unchecked AI development – a warning he first shared after leaving a research position at Google in early 2023.

�鶹��Ƶ and Siemens Canada partner to transform energy grid

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 20:11:53 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ and Siemens Canada partner to transform energy grid

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 11/22/2024 - 15:11

Cutline

Siemens Canada CEO and President Faisal Kazi (L), and Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ's vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, shake hands after signing an institutional partnership agreement focused on advancing sustainability energy systems (photo by Liz Beddall)

Sayyeda Masood

Topic

Climate Positive Energy

Industry Partnerships

Sustainability

Subheadline

Strategic industry-academic collaboration aims to accelerate adoption of green energy technologies

The University of Toronto has signed a multi-year agreement with Siemens Canada that seeks to transform the energy grid and boost Canada’s ability to provide clean energy to communities.

The partnership will bring together �鶹��Ƶ’s cutting-edge research, commercialization and policy expertise with Siemens’s industry-leading experience in sustainable energy management and intelligent infrastructure – all with a view to advancing Ontario’s energy transition goals and contributing to Canada’s target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

“The University of Toronto is delighted to strengthen our relationship with Siemens by entering into this institutional partnership agreement,” said Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, at a signing ceremony held Nov. 21 at Hart House.

“This framework agreement will generate broad and deep mutual value enabling both Siemens and �鶹��Ƶ to build a green future together as global organizations with global ambitions.”

The partnership expands on �鶹��Ƶ’s existing ties with Siemens: the company is partner in �鶹��Ƶ’s Grid Modernization Centre, which brings together companies and �鶹��Ƶ researchers to advance decarbonization of the electric grid while supporting innovation in clean energy technologies, policy advocacy and financing. The centre is led by Climate Positive Energy, a �鶹��Ƶ institutional strategic initiative that leverages research expertise across the university to support efforts to curb carbon emissions, reimagine energy systems and facilitate an equitable transition to a clean energy future in Canada and globally.

“We are thrilled to strengthen our partnership with the University of Toronto through signing this framework agreement,” said Faisal Kazi, president and CEO of Siemens Canada. “Today marks not just another step but the continuation of a collaborative journey we’ve nurtured over many years. I look forward to seeing continued leadership and innovation as a result of this agreement.”

The partnership with Siemens Canada is part of ongoing efforts across the university to address grid modernization and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future powered by clean energy.

For example, researchers on all three campuses are currently contributing to efforts to transform Canada’s energy grid – and the infrastructure that powers homes, buildings and electric vehicles – into an intelligent and secure grid. The resulting “smart grid” will leverage the latest advances in AI to appropriately direct energy to the points of highest need at critical times to avoid power outages.

The undertaking combines two areas where �鶹��Ƶ is among the world leaders – sustainability and AI. �鶹��Ƶ was named the most sustainable university in the world in the 2024 QS World University Rankings, and is a longstanding leader in AI research, thanks in part to the efforts of luminaries like University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton, whose foundational discoveries and inventions were recently recognized with a Nobel Prize.

At the same time, �鶹��Ƶ researchers are also at the forefront of addressing emerging challenges associated with the transition to a smart grid. That includes security considerations – which will be among the key areas of focus for �鶹��Ƶ’s partnership with Siemens, a leading supplier of electrical components to utilities.

For example, Professor Deepa Kundur, chair of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, leads a research group that’s exploring exploring how to defend power utilities from cyberattacks.

Working with industrial partners across different sectors, these and other �鶹��Ƶ researchers are helping companies make better use of resources and enabling safe access to emerging green technologies.

Going forward, �鶹��Ƶ’s collaboration with Siemens will expand beyond energy systems to encompass other crucial sectors such as AI, automation and advanced manufacturing.

Learn more about industry partnerships at �鶹��Ƶ

Learn more about Climate Positive Energy

‘One of the great minds of the 21st century’: �鶹��Ƶ celebrates Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 17:24:21 +0000

‘One of the great minds of the 21st century’: �鶹��Ƶ celebrates Geoffrey Hinton’s Nobel Prize

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 10/17/2024 - 13:24

Cutline

University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, attends a celebration event held at the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus (photo by Mac Pattanasuttinont)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus

Wesley Hall

Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

Artificial Intelligence

CIFAR

Department of Computer Science

National Taiwan University

Subheadline

The 2024 co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics - known to many as the "godfather of AI" - was honoured at an event attended by a who's who of the Toronto research community

There were standing ovations, peals of laughter and even a few tears as the University of Toronto welcomed Geoffrey Hinton back to campus after he won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics.

A University Professor Emeritus of computer science, Hinton traded the “cheap hotel room in California,” where he received the life-changing news, for an emotional reception in the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus’s airy event hall.

The Oct. 10 event drew �鶹��Ƶ leaders, supporters, dignitaries and other luminaries. They included Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, University Professor Emeritus John Polanyi, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986, and Massey College Principal James Orbinski, who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Doctors Without Borders in 1999.

Several of Hinton’s many collaborators and proteges also attended the event – not to mention students who were simply eager to catch a glimpse of the “godfather of AI.”

Hinton chats with �鶹��Ƶ Scarborough Professor David Fleet and Google Research Scientists Sara Sabour and Daniel Watson (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Though sleep deprived, Hinton regaled the audience with fond recollections of his early years as an AI researcher, snapshots of his trademark dry humour and warm expressions of gratitude for mentors, collaborators and, of course, his many students.

“I’ve been blessed to have brilliant graduate students and post-docs,” Hinton said.

“I had a principle when selecting graduate students: ‘If they’re not smarter than me, what’s the point?’ And I’ve had quite a number of graduate students who were smarter than me.

“They did things I wouldn’t have been able to do, so I’d like to thank them.”

He said two figures in particular played a huge role in the work that led to his Nobel Prize, which he shared with Princeton University’s John J. Hopfield. The first was Terry Sejnowsky, a computational neuroscientist and former student of Hopfield’s, who worked with Hinton on Boltzmann machines – a period Hinton described as “the most happy research time of my life.”

He also praised the contributions of the late David Rumelhart, a psychologist at Stanford University, who worked with him to develop backpropagation algorithms, a key breakthrough.

“[He] should have won the Nobel Prize,” Hinton said. “But unfortunately, Dave got a horrible brain disease and he died quite young.” (The Nobel organization doesn’t award the honour posthumously).

Hinton poses for a picture with Assistant Professor Chris Maddison, who was one of the last graduate students Hinton supervised (photo by Mac Pattanasuttinont)

Chris Maddison joined Hinton’s research group as an undergraduate and was one of the last students he supervised. Now an assistant professor in �鶹��Ƶ’s departments of computer science and statistical sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Maddison lauded Hinton as “a steadfast mentor and supporter who saw strength in me that I didn’t see” and said one of his greatest attributes was his sheer enthusiasm.

“No matter what’s going on, you can find him in the lab on Sundays at 8 p.m. playing with his MATLAB scripts like a child playing with Legos,” Maddison said. “He never lost that child-like sense of wonder that buoyed him and the group.”

�鶹��Ƶ President Meric Gertler said, via video message from Indonesia, where he was on university business, that Hinton is “one of the great minds of the 21st century” (photo by Johnny Guatto)

�鶹��Ƶ President Meric Gertler, who was in Indonesia on university business when the prize was announced, hailed Hinton in a video message as “one of the great minds of the 21st century” and someone who “literally created new ways of thinking about thinking and learning.”

He noted that Hinton’s AI leadership extends to the pressing question of responsible and safe development of the technology.

“With his Nobel win, he’s now perfectly positioned to amplify this concern on a world stage.” President Gertler said.

Hinton shares a laugh with University Professor Molly Shoichet of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering (photo by Johnny Guatto)

The event’s guest list served as a reminder of Hinton’s outsized influence on the research community in Toronto and beyond, drawing key figures from: the Vector Institute, where Hinton is co-founder and chief scientific adviser; the Schwartz Reisman Institute of Technology and Society, where he sits on the advisory board; and CIFAR (Canadian Institute for Advanced Research), where Hinton is an adviser and longtime fellow.

Hinton poses for a photo with Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, reminded the accomplished audience that Hinton’s historic achievement – both the Nobel Prize and the AI revolution he helped spark – was the result of years toiling in an “unpromising backwater” of AI research.

“It is tempting to think that it happened almost overnight, but it didn’t,” Cowen said.

University Professors Emeriti – and fellow Nobel Prize-winners – Geoffrey Hinton and John Polanyi have their photo taken together (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Hinton took time to reflect on periods of personal struggle and tragedy – and thank those who helped him in his hour of need.

When his wife had an incurable form of cancer, he recalled how �鶹��Ƶ President Emeritus David Naylor, a physician, medical researcher and former dean of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, carried out research on a possible alternative treatment that was being explored – incorporating input from top medical experts – and presented him with a report of his findings.

“He’s a tremendous human being,” Hinton said of Naylor, who was in the audience.

Hinton shares a moment with �鶹��Ƶ President Emeritus David Naylor (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Hinton also recalled how, when his first wife became ill in 1993 – also with cancer – his post-doctoral trainee Peter Dayan, now a director at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, stepped in to advise Hinton’s graduate students, giving him time to care for his ailing spouse.

“At times like this, you remember the people who helped you most when things were very difficult,” Hinton said.

He later pointed out that Dayan went on to supervise one of this year’s winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Demis Hassabis, joking that this made Dayan “the meat in a Nobel sandwich.”

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada was lucky to have Hinton, who was born in the U.K., and thanked his daughter for sharing her father with the country, with science and the world (photo by Johnny Guatto)

For Minister Freeland, Hinton’s award showcased the value of ideas and of fundamental research. She said Hinton’s Nobel Prize sent waves of pride across Canada, which she said was “lucky as a country” that Hinton arrived on its shores back in 1987.

“Geoff shows that you can be a really brilliant intellectual and also a really great human being who cares about his community and his country,” Freeland said. “I am constantly struck by how Geoff thinks about the bigger implications of his ideas and how Geoff thinks about really wanting to make Canada and the world a better place.”

Hinton chats with Melanie Woodin, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, who thanked him for his friendship and mentorship – and his dedication to science and scholarship (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Following the program – which also featured remarks by �鶹��Ƶ Chancellor Wes Hall, Faculty of Arts & Science Dean Melanie Woodin and Christine Szustaczek, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, communications – Hinton mingled with members of the audience, shook hands with students and caught up with former colleagues and trainees.

Clockwise from top left: Christine Szustaczek, Wes Hall, Chris Maddison, Leah Cowen, Geoffrey Hinton and Melanie Woodin (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Brendan Frey, professor in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering and CEO of AI-powered therapeutics startup Deep Genomics, said he was one of many who earned his PhD under Hinton’s supervision.

“I think of Geoff as the father of a community that includes myself, other graduate students and all the people who didn’t believe but then came to believe – and he inspired all of us,” said Frey, who shared a hug with his former supervisor following the event.

“I’m really happy for him.”

�鶹��Ƶ ranked fourth in the world in research-focused NTU World University Rankings

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 15:51:19 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ ranked fourth in the world in research-focused NTU World University Rankings

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 09/06/2024 - 11:51

Cutline

(photo by Matt Volpe)

Topic

Rankings

Subheadline

The National Taiwan University ranking evaluates universities based on research output and impact

The University of Toronto climbed one spot to fourth place globally in the latest National Taiwan University ranking, which evaluates universities based on their research output and impact.

�鶹��Ƶ’s strong performance in the 2024 edition of the NTU World University Rankings, released this week, puts it in elite global company. The four other schools in the top five were Harvard University, Stanford University, University College London and the University of Oxford.

Among public universities, �鶹��Ƶ placed second globally and first in North America.

“This ranking is yet another reminder that the research produced at the University of Toronto is truly world-class,” said Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“It also reflects our reputation for research excellence and impact across a broad range of fields – from medicine to the social sciences.”

The NTU ranking analyzes scholarly papers and research citations, scoring each institution based on productivity, impact and excellence. The top 1,000 universities were ranked this year with more than 1,500 considered.

In addition to the overall ranking, NTU ranked universities by six broad fields and 27 specific subjects.

�鶹��Ƶ ranked among the top 50 institutions worldwide – and first in Canada – in four of the six broad fields. Notably, that includes a rank of second globally in medicine, the same as last year, and third globally in social sciences – up three spots.

�鶹��Ƶ also ranked among the top 10 universities globally in five subject categories: clinical medicine (second), neurosciences and behaviour (third), social sciences (third), psychiatry and psychology (fourth) and biology and biochemistry (sixth).

Two other Canadian universities made the top 100 in the main NTU ranking: University of British Columbia (37th) and McGill University (57th).

Overall, �鶹��Ƶ continues to be the highest-ranked Canadian university and one of the top-ranked public universities in the five most closely watched international rankings: Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings, ShanghaiRanking Consultancy’s Academic Ranking of World Universities, U.S. News & World Report’s Best Global Universities and National Taiwan University World University Rankings.

�鶹��Ƶ’s Grid Modernization Centre receives $10 million in federal funding to advance energy transition

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 14:52:38 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ’s Grid Modernization Centre receives $10 million in federal funding to advance energy transition

rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 07/29/2024 - 10:52

Cutline

(Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Sayyeda Masood

Topic

City & Culture

Climate Positive Energy

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Sustainability

Subheadline

Founded by the Climate Positive Energy institutional strategic initiative, the Grid Modernization Centre will help accelerate integration of novel green technologies

The University of Toronto has received $10-million in federal funding in support of the Grid Modernization Centre, a state-of-the-art facility in Toronto’s Downsview area that aims to accelerate progress towards a decarbonized, decentralized and digitalized power system for Canada.

Founded by Climate Positive Energy, a �鶹��Ƶ institutional strategic initiative, the centre will serve as a hub that provides utilities, regulators, municipalities and enterprises with the equipment and expertise needed to test, develop and commercialize a range of green technologies.

The Government of Canada announced the investment – which includes $5 million apiece from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and Natural Resources Canada – at �鶹��Ƶ's Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship on Friday, July 26.

“On behalf of the University of Toronto, we thank FedDev Ontario and Natural Resources Canada for their $10-million investment in the Grid Modernization Centre,” said Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “By convening stakeholders across the electricity ecosystem, Climate Positive Energy and their partners will help ensure the electrical grid remains safe and reliable, while supporting the development of clean technologies and jobs.”

Leah Cowen (left), �鶹��Ƶ's vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, was joined by Ya'ara Saks (centre), minister of mental health and addictions, and Julie Dabrusin (right), parliamentary secretary to the minister of the environment, at the $10-million funding announcement for �鶹��Ƶ's Grid Modernization Centre (photo by Liz Beddall)

The first facility of its kind in Canada, the Grid Modernization Centre will foster innovations pertinent to electricity demand, which is estimated to double in the next 30 years according to Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator.

“Through initiatives such as the Grid Modernization Centre here at �鶹��Ƶ, we are collaborating to unlock a brighter future for our energy systems on the path to net-zero,” said Julie Dabrusin, parliamentary secretary to the minister for environment and climate change and the minister of energy and natural resources.

“By supporting advancements in clean energy technologies, we are not only protecting our environment but also positioning Canada at the forefront of the clean energy revolution,” said Ya’ara Saks, minister of mental health and addictions and MP for York Centre, who attended the announcement on behalf of Filomena Tassi, the minister responsible for FedDev Ontario.

Ya'ara Saks and Julie Dabrusin speak with Associate Professor Ali Hooshyar during a tour of the Centre for Applied Power Electronics (photo by Liz Beddall)

Ontario’s existing grid faces a number of challenges, including extreme weather events, the increasing popularity of electric vehicles and concerns around capacity, reliability, and security.

To address these challenges, the Grid Modernization Centre will enable an array of green technologies – from electric vehicle charging stations to battery energy storage systems – to be tested and refined before they are integrated with the grid.

It will also provide training opportunities for students and thought leadership on policy, regulatory and climate financing models.

Prior to Friday’s announcement, MP Saks and Parliamentary Secretary Dabrusin enjoyed a tour of the Centre for Applied Power Electronics led by Ali Hooshyar, associate professor and Canada Research Chair in Electric Power Systems in the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. The centre specializes in research and development around electric power systems in areas such as integration of renewable resources into power grids and energy storage and distribution in microgrids.

(L-R) Chris Yip, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, and Deepa Kundur, chair of the Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering, said the Grid Modernization Centre will help address crucial challenges around sustainable energy (photo by Liz Beddall)

Professor and chair of the department Deepa Kundur hailed the Grid Modernization Centre as a “crucial step” toward a safer and more sustainable society. "At ECE, we actively contribute to the technological landscape by addressing challenges in vehicle electrification, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. This new centre represents �鶹��Ƶ's proactive response to society's energy needs, and I'm thrilled about its potential impact,” Kundur said.

Professor Christopher Yip, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, described the clean energy transition as arguably the most important shift facing companies and communities today. “�鶹��Ƶ has responded to this challenge by developing the Grid Modernization Centre," Yip said.

"Today’s investment is key in supporting the centre and propelling us towards a reliable, resilient and sustainable electricity grid that will power a clean energy future for generations.”

Read the Climate Positive Energy story

Canadian Hub for Health Intelligence and Innovation in Infectious Diseases awarded $72 million

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 06 May 2024 16:07:51 +0000

Canadian Hub for Health Intelligence and Innovation in Infectious Diseases awarded $72 million

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 05/06/2024 - 12:07

Cutline

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

PRiME

Sinai Health

Unity Health

Chemistry

Subheadline

Federal funding will be used to strengthen talent development and health intelligence in order to respond to emerging health threats

Four research programs in the Canadian Hub for Health Intelligence and Innovation in Infectious Diseases (HI³) have received $72 million in federal funding from the Canada Biomedical Research Fund (CBRF) and Biomedical Research Infrastructure Fund (BRIF), bolstering the country’s biomanufacturing capacity and readiness to respond to emerging health threats.

Support for HI³ and the four funded research programs through the CBRF and BRIF is part of a larger investment in Canada’s Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy. The strategy aims to grow a strong, competitive domestic life sciences sector with cutting-edge biomanufacturing capabilities and to improve the country’s ability to respond to future health challenges.

HI³ – a coalition of 87 academic, hospital, research networks, industry, government, not-for-profit and community partners – was one of five national hubs established in March 2023 with CBRF funding.

Together, the four awarded programs will provide critical health intelligence data to guide the co-development of health threat surveillance platforms and next-generation precision interventions by the hub’s academic and industry partners, while building a highly skilled workforce to support Canada’s growing biomanufacturing and life sciences sector.

“Congratulations to HI³ and the collaborative teams behind these CBRF-funded programs. These four programs leverage the tremendous expertise of the University of Toronto's researchers and our partners in academia, hospitals, industry and other sectors to develop the talent, tools and data required to be at the forefront of emerging health threats,” said Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives.

“On behalf of the University of Toronto and HI³, I thank the government of Canada for its investment in building a strong domestic life sciences sector ready to take on the health challenges of today and tomorrow.”

One of the CBRF-funded programs is the Biomanufacturing Hub Network (BioHubNet), an immersive talent development program based at �鶹��Ƶ and led by University Professor Molly Shoichet along with Darius Rackus, an assistant professor of chemistry and biology at Toronto Metropolitan University, and Gilbert Walker, a professor of chemistry at �鶹��Ƶ.

“With world-leading scientists and researchers established across Canadian leading research institutions, Canada is home to a competitive and robust biomanufacturing and life sciences sector. We made a promise to Canadians that we would rebuild the domestic sector,” said François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s minister of innovation, science and industry. “With this investment, our government is delivering on this promise by supporting the excellent innovations, collaborations and infrastructures necessary to rapidly respond to future public health threats and keep Canadians safe.”

The predicted supply of biomanufacturing workers is only enough to fill one-quarter of the positions that will be needed in the sector by 2029, according to a 2021 report from BioTalent Canada.

To address the shortage, BioHubNet will leverage its 26 industry and training partners – which include multinational and homegrown biotechnology companies, as well as five Ontario colleges and nearly $19 million in funding from CBRF – to develop a range of training programs and curricula that provide experiential, hands-on learning to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and others who are ready to transition to industry.

The program will also outfit entrepreneurs with the skills and resources they need to commercialize their lab-based innovations, further strengthening the translational pipeline. Over the next four years, BioHubNet will produce close to 1,000 highly skilled workers through micro-credential courses, industry internships, academic exchange placements and entrepreneurial training.

A central tenet underlying all BioHubNet’s offerings is a commitment to create more equitable and inclusive participation in the biomanufacturing and life sciences sectors through intentional recruitment and active support for trainees from under-represented groups.

“Canada’s future as a leader in bio-innovation depends on having highly qualified workers, yet the sector is predicted to face severe workforce shortages in the coming years,” says Shoichet, who is the Michael E Charles Professor in Chemical Engineering at �鶹��Ƶ and scientific director of PRiME Next-Generation Precision Medicine, a �鶹��Ƶ institutional strategic initiative based at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

“By expanding the pipeline of skilled research talent in Canada, BioHubNet will accelerate the translation of promising discoveries from bench to market and ensure that this country’s biomanufacturing sector continues to grow and attract further international investment.”

In addition to BioHubNet, three other research programs were also funded:

The Integrated Network for the Surveillance of Pathogens: Increasing Resilience and capacity in Canada’s pandemic response (INSPIRE) based at the University of Windsor. Co-led by Windsor professor Mike McKay and University of Guelph professor Lawrence Goodridge, the INSPIRE program leverages community-level wastewater surveillance data, infrastructure and expertise to monitor the arrival and spread of infectious threats. The program also received infrastructure funding from BRIF to implement technologies and processes across its network that will streamline wastewater surveillance efforts to be more rapid, agile and sensitive. Importantly, these infrastructure supports will expand wastewater monitoring capacity in northern Ontario and at the Windsor-Detroit border to strengthen supply chains.
The Prepare, React, Collect, Innovate, Share and Engage (PRECISE) Diagnostic Platform, based at Sinai Health and co-led by Jennie Johnstone and Anne-Claude Gingras – who are both faculty members in �鶹��Ƶ’s Faculty of Medicine – will advance a comprehensive, streamlined approach for responding to emerging threats by driving the timely development of rapid diagnostic tools that will scale up testing capacity and reduce reliance on global supply chains.
The Pandemic Preparedness Engaging Primary Care and Emergency Departments (PREPARED) program, based at Unity Health Toronto and led by Andrew Pinto, who is a faculty member in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, aims to engage primary care clinics and emergency departments across the country to enhance disease monitoring, improve patient care and health system efficiency, accelerate the development of medical countermeasures and boost recruitment to clinical trials.

All four research programs reflect the hub’s extensive network of nearly 100 partners from academia, hospital, industry, public and other sectors. The programs leverage the collective resources and expertise of this network, including �鶹��Ƶ’s position as a global leader in artificial intelligence, data, life sciences and engineering, and the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network’s strong track record of clinical impact and health-care innovation.

“Our goal at HI³ is to advance mission-driven, team-based science that will help Canada be more prepared, resilient and independent in the face of emerging health threats,” said Jen Gommerman, co-director of HI³ and a professor of immunology in �鶹��Ƶ’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

“As we support and grow these four research programs, we will continue to work closely with our hub partners and with our counterparts across the country to ensure that we have the capacity and resources needed to respond in a co-ordinated, effective and equitable manner.”

�鶹��Ƶ welcomes federal budget's investments in research and innovation

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 18:39:56 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ welcomes federal budget's investments in research and innovation

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 04/16/2024 - 14:39

Cutline

(photo by Matthew Dochstader/Paradox Images)

Topic

Research and Innovation

The University of Toronto is welcoming measures in Tuesday’s federal budget that boost research programs and support a new generation of talent across Canada, strengthening the country’s innovation ecosystem and knowledge economy.

The spring 2024 budget, announced by Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, allocates more than $3 billion in investments in Canada’s research ecosystem over the next five years.

This includes increases to the tri-council funding agency budgets, additional support for master’s and PhD students and post-doctoral fellows, and more money for major research infrastructure projects – a clear recognition that universities are drivers of economic growth and can find solutions to the challenges facing Canada and the world.

“Today’s budget is a very significant and welcome recognition of the critical role the research ecosystem plays in driving Canada’s productivity and prosperity,” said �鶹��Ƶ President Meric Gertler.

“It builds on this government’s earlier investments in research and innovation, and helps secure Canada’s global competitiveness for future generations.”

The budget’s key elements for the post-secondary sector include an increase of 30 per cent, across five years, in Canada’s three research funding agencies: the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

The budget also invests $825 million in support of master’s and PhD students and post-doctoral fellows, boosting the value of these scholarships and fellowships significantly, and adding a further 1,720 students or fellows each year.

“In the knowledge economy, the global market for ... ideas is highly competitive and we need to make sure talented people have the right incentives to do their groundbreaking research here in Canada,” the budget document states.

In addition, the budget lays out a plan for the creation of an advisory Council on Science and Innovation, which will be tasked with setting priorities and boosting the impact of federal investments in science and innovation. And it proposes the creation of a new capstone research funding organization to optimize the impact of the federally funded research councils.

The budget also earmarks $2.4 billion, previously announced, to consolidate Canada’s competitive edge in AI – a field where �鶹��Ƶ researchers are playing a leading role.

The measures come as post-secondary institutions in Ontario grapple with a challenging financial environment and follows growing calls across Canada for reinvestment in research and innovation.

�鶹��Ƶ is a member of the Coalition for Canadian Research, which has urged the federal government to increase support for research to enhance Canada’s competitiveness as a destination for top talent and accelerate Canadian researchers’ efforts in tackling pressing national and global challenges.

“Canada has many strengths in this new strategic race, including unparalleled access to talent, an increasingly successful commercialization pipeline from researchers to business, and a federal government focused on developing the industries of tomorrow,” Leah Cowen, �鶹��Ƶ’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives, noted in a May 2023 column for The Hill Times.

In October, the coalition – whose members include post-secondary institutions as well as research hospitals, life sciences companies, charities, students and early-career researchers – released an open letter calling for “ambitious reinvestment” to support Canada’s research and innovation ecosystem amid an increasingly competitive global landscape and rising societal and economic challenges.

�鶹��Ƶ-anchored hospital network among leading life sciences research hubs, report finds

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 23:24:07 +0000

�鶹��Ƶ-anchored hospital network among leading life sciences research hubs, report finds

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 11/17/2023 - 18:24

Cutline

(photo by xubingruo/Getty Images)

Adina Bresge

Topic

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health