Photo courtesy of Johnny Guatto/University of Toronto

In what University of Toronto President Meric Gertler called “a historic investment in Canadian science and innovation,” the federal and provincial governments are joining with the university to provide almost $190 million to upgrade almost half of U of T’s research labs over the next two years.

The announcement of the Lab Innovation for Toronto (LIFT) project was made this morning at U of T’s Medical Sciences Building by Gertler, federal  innovation, science and economic development minister Navdeep Bains and science minister Kirsty Duncan, and provincial higher education minister Deb Matthews. The university will provide $91.8 million, while the federal and provincial governments will contribute $83.7 million and $14.3 million respectively for a total of $189.8 million.

The LIFT project will lead to the renewal of 47 percent of U of T’s research space, said Scott Mabury, vice-president operations.  The labs to be renovated by the project are on average 50 years old and comprise more than 50,000 square metres of inefficient space, he said. Work has already begun and will be complete by the spring of 2018.

“The renovations will modernize U of T’s research labs to increase usable space and enhance the quality of the research and learning environment,” Mabury said. “They will also improve air handling, climate, and electrical systems.”

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