New Five-Year Strategic Plan launched at Laurentian University
Plan emphasizes unique aspects that make up Laurentian’s diverse identity
March 27, 2024 - A new chapter begins for Laurentian University with the introduction of the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan. Named “Laurentian’s Plan for Connection, Innovation, and Impact”, the plan identifies a vision, a mission, values, and four key priorities as the focus of the academic institution over the next five years.
“The vision, mission, and values are much more than words on a page. They are the bedrock of any organization’s strategy – they are to be used to guide priorities, shape shared ambitions, and to define how the University will strive to create a lasting impact.” said Dr. Sheila Embleton, Interim President and Vice-Chancellor. “This plan is the result of an in-depth and inclusive process that mobilized many people with unique perspectives who make up the Laurentian community.”
The development of the strategic plan began in July 2023 and featured extensive participation from the Laurentian community. Workshops, consultations, town halls, and surveys were conducted to gather and organize invaluable feedback from students, staff, and faculty. To help with the in-depth process, StrategyCorp was hired as the strategic plan consultant. Together with the University’s planning committee, the input and perspectives of more than 2,500 people within the Laurentian community were collected and analyzed.
This path forward emphasizes the importance of, and our dedication to, deepening partnerships and fostering collaborations with the Laurentian community in four priority areas: enhancing the student experience; energizing the academic and research mission; building up the communities served; and valuing and supporting the people who make up Laurentian University.
The implementation of this plan is now underway as success indicators are in development. In the coming months, the academic and research plans will have an important role in defining how key elements of the strategic plan will be implemented.
Plan Highlights
Vision: Bring the power of Northern Ontario values, resilience, innovation, and Indigenous ways of knowing to the world.
Mission: Prepare the leaders of tomorrow through an inclusive, intellectually curious and connected bilingual and tricultural learning community.
Canadian and Ontario governments invest $27.4 million in infrastructure at Laurentian
Part of $60.7 million project to include a new Research, Innovation and Engineering Building
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 – The federal government will invest $21.1 million and the Ontario government will invest $6.3 million towards research and innovation infrastructure at Laurentian University. As part of a broad capital program totalling $60.7 million to be completed by March 2018, this $27.4 million investment is earmarked for the immediate construction of a new 47,000 sq ft Research, Innovation and Engineering Building. The announcement was made today by Members of Parliament Marc Serré and Paul Lefebvre, Deputy Premier Deb Matthews and Energy Minister and Sudbury Member of Provincial Parliament Glenn Thibeault.
“The significant support of $27.4 million received today from this joint federal-provincial announcement, the largest infrastructure announcement in Laurentian’s 56-year history, allows for the expansion of much needed research and innovation space in our region,” said Jennifer Witty, Chair of the Board of Governors at Laurentian University. “With this investment, we will build the infrastructure required to support education and research, foster innovation, and create opportunity for students while strengthening the economy.”
The federal investment is made through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund announced in the 2016 Federal Budget. This $2-billion fund is intended to spur job creation, expand research and grow innovation by enhancing and modernizing research facilities on Canadian campuses while improving the environmental sustainability of these facilities.
"Canada's post-secondary institutions are front-line agents in fostering science and research excellence. They help to train the workforce of tomorrow and create knowledge and insights necessary for the private sector and policy makers to build a thriving, clean economy," said the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. “Laurentian University has ambitious plans that will create well-paying jobs in its community while also delivering economic growth for years to come,” added Bains.
The provincial investment includes $5 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. “The Ontario government is proud to support this important project that will deliver new and improved facilities needed to prepare students for successful careers in engineering and research. As a result of these investments, students, faculty and staff will work in state-of-the-art facilities that advance the country's best research and support lifelong learning and skills training,” said the Honourable Deb Matthews, Ontario Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development.
The new Research, Innovation and Engineering Building, located between the Fraser and Parker buildings on the Sudbury campus, will include:
Collaborative Research and Development space, enabling researchers across the University to share equipment and expertise to operate highly-specialized equipment;
A dedicated Innovation and Commercialization space leveraging its partnership with the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) to help emerging start-ups by bridging the gap between laboratory and market;
Four capstone innovation labs allowing students in civil, chemical, mechanical and mining engineering to put their knowledge and skills to work to address creative design problems for actual clients;
A Materials Analysis Lab to support researchers, students and industry partners in chemical analysis as well as mechanical, metallurgical, corrosion, heat treatment and capability testing;
An Environmental and Soil Mechanics Lab will contain instrumentation, environmental chambers and other specialized equipment to support research, innovation and industry partners in the design of foundation and earth structures, and address issues in water chemistry, environmental microbiology, physical and chemical processes, and microbiological processes in addition to analytical equipment and bench-scale treatment systems;
A Prototype Development and Machine Shop enabling innovation requiring a physical system;
An Integrated Software Lab and Lecture Theatre will be equipped for computer- based activities using engineering software. This additional capacity will allow students to complete years 3 and 4 in civil engineering at Laurentian, and will accommodate bilingual engineering students who currently travel 400-600 km to complete their degrees;
A Hydraulics and Fluid Mechanics Lab enabling engineering students to learn and research about open channel and closed channel fluid flows.
“Over the last 10 years, Laurentian University has secured more than $200 million in research income while enrolment at the award-winning Bharti School of Engineering has increased from 100 to 700 students during that period,” said Laurentian President Dominic Giroux. “We have a major role to play in supporting research and innovation opportunities both for students and for industry partners. The support received by the federal and provincial governments will certainly help us meet these demands,” added Giroux.
In addition to the new Research, Innovation and Engineering Building, Laurentian’s $60.7 million capital program includes investments by the university towards a new Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research Lab, new one-stop student services, a new Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre, renovations to five labs in the Faculty of Health and a new roof for the J.N. Desmarais Library. It also features a $11.2 million partnership with Greater Sudbury Utilities for a cogeneration initiative to update the University’s heating systems campus-wide to an energy efficient combined heat and power (CHP) and aggregated district energy system. This will allow the University to reduce its electricity consumption by 79%.
A KPMG study estimates the direct economic activity generated by this project at over $102 million in gross economic output with $54 million contributed to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product. The project is estimated to support 625 person-years of employment.
Laurentian’s Research, Engineering and Innovation proposal was developed in consultation and in response to community needs identified by the City of Greater Sudbury, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association (SAMSSA), Greater Sudbury Utilities, Health Sciences North, Science North, NORCAT – Sudbury’s Innovation Centre, the Global Advisory Council of the Bharti School of Engineering and the Laurentian University Native Education Council (LUNEC) among others. Laurentian University received over 50 letters of support from community and industry partners. For more information about the project click here.
Laurentian appoints Craig Fowler as Associate Vice-President, Research Partnerships, Innovation and Economic Development
Fowler will be responsible for developing new large-scale research collaborations to advance the University’s objectives
MARCH 3, 2016 – Laurentian University is proud to announce that Craig Fowler will assume the role of Associate Vice-President, Research Partnerships, Innovation and Economic Development at Laurentian University.
Mr. Fowler will be responsible for developing new large-scale research collaborations to advance the University’s objectives and foster innovation and economic development in the communities we serve. In its Strategic Plan, Laurentian University has set a goal of increasing total annual funded research from $21.9M in 2010 to $30M by 2017.
“We are thrilled by the experience and vision that Craig brings to this portfolio,” said Dr. Rui Wang, Vice-President, Research at Laurentian University. “Craig’s expertise in bringing together major funding partners in large-scale collaborations, as well as his intimate knowledge of Laurentian, will serve us well in our own research objectives.”
Fowler served as Associate Vice-President, Administration and External Relations at Laurentian University since August 2012. Prior to joining Laurentian, Mr. Fowler served in a number of senior roles at the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, including as Director of Scientific and Research Collaborations and as Director of the Research Branch. He led the development of the Ontario Innovation Agenda, and also worked with the Ontario Research and Innovation Council which guided the development of the province’s Research and Innovation support programs. Mr. Fowler directed over $1.5 billion in research and innovation programming, and led Ontario’s international research and innovation outreach activities through several multi-million dollar agreements with China, India, Israel, Catalonia, Illinois and California. He subsequently led the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services for the Ontario Ministry of Finance, and served as Director of Risk Management at the Pan/Parapan American Games Secretariat.
Mr. Fowler completed his undergraduate degree in Urban Planning and his master’s degree in Economic Development at the University of Waterloo. He began his career in economic development with the town of Richmond Hill.
“Laurentian has ambitious goals for its research portfolio and I am excited to bring my experience in supporting research and innovation to this new role,” said Mr. Fowler.
Laurentian President and Vice-Chancellor Dominic Giroux announced this appointment at a luncheon of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce which was featuring Paul Davidson, President and CEO of Universities Canada, as guest speaker. During his talk, Davidson highlighted how today’s businesses must be nimble, responsive and visionary in the face of emerging challenges. Partnering with universities helps companies and communities gain this competitive advantage. He spoke about universities' role in providing the skills, new knowledge and innovation Canada needs to compete, open up new markets and get fresh ideas to market faster. He illustrated how higher education is building prosperity through research, innovation and experiential learning, and how the potential of universities can be harnessed to make Canada's businesses, communities and regions stronger.
“Craig Fowler’s appointment in this new role of Associate Vice-President, Research Partnerships, Innovation and Economic Development at Laurentian aligns directly with the vision articulated today by Mr. Davidson at the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce. It also echoes the perspectives offered earlier this week by Greg Fergus, Parliamentary Secretary with Canada’s new Ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, as he helped launch Laurentian’s 2016 Research Week,” explained Dominic Giroux.
Karen Hourtovenko, Chair of the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the announcement. “One of the three goals in the Chamber’s 2015-2017 Strategic Plan is to create strong change agents. We want to nurture community champions and foster positive actions for community prosperity. The Chamber is delighted to see Laurentian University once again step up its efforts to enhance partnerships, innovation and economic development, and we look forward to working with Mr. Fowler in his new role”.
To view Laurentian University’s 2012-2017 Strategic Research Plan, click the link below
Laurentian creates a new mining innovation and technology research hub
Laurentian Mining Innovation and Technology (LMIT), will coordinate and promote all mining-related research.
FEBRUARY 19, 2016 – Laurentian University has announced the establishment of a new mining innovation and technology research initiative, LMIT, which will synchronize and optimize research and innovation activities in all aspects of mining and mineral exploration at Laurentian University.
The new initiative, Laurentian Mining Innovation and Technology (LMIT), will coordinate and promote all mining-related research conducted at Laurentian’s award-winning research centres, including the Mineral Exploration Research Centre (MERC), the Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH), the Vale Living with Lakes Centre (VLWLC) and the Mining Innovation Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO).
Laurentian University already ranks first in Canada in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) in Economic Geology, first in Canada in NSERC funding in Applied Geophysics and first in Ontario in NSERC funding in Mining and Mineral Processing. A second prestigious Canada Research Chair was created in 2013 at VLWLC, while a Research Chair in Occupational Safety and Health was established at CROSH in 2015.
Laurentian University now offers a one-stop approach to its mining and mineral exploration research, which is unified under LMIT. This integration and synchronization will help to generate new opportunities for mining-related research, while coordinating Laurentian’s relationships with external partners in mining research and innovation.
President and CEO of MIRARCO, Mr. Vic Pakalnis has been appointed Associate Vice-President of LMIT. “We are sharpening our focus on mining research while solidifying Laurentian’s position as the pre-eminent mining research leader in Canada,” said Pakalnis.
The Honourable Reza Moridi, Minister of Research and Innovation and Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities applauded the initiative, “Our government supports and encourages innovative research collaborations at Ontario’s post-secondary institutions, and Laurentian University has demonstrated exemplary leadership in the creation of Laurentian Mining Innovation and Technology,” said Minister Moridi. “This initiative will drive research and innovation in the field of mineral development and mining and will help grow Ontario’s knowledge-based economy.”
“The outstanding talent and vision of Laurentian’s research teams and this strategically prioritized approach have positioned Laurentian as a global leader in mineral exploration and mining research and innovation. We are excited by the prospect of LMIT augmenting the excellence of our mining research,” said Dr. Rui Wang, Vice-President of Research at Laurentian University. “The establishment of LMIT will also allow Laurentian to more effectively work with our community and industry partners to align with the recently renewed Ontario Mineral Development Strategy (2015).”
To view Laurentian University’s 2012-2017 Strategic Research Plan click the link below Strategic Research Plan.
New office will support young entrepreneurs on Sudbury campuses
Laurentian University partners with Cambrian College, Collège Boréal, NORCAT Innovation Mill in new program
December 22, 2014– A full-time Entrepreneurship Coordinator hired at Laurentian University will work to develop a strong and vibrant entrepreneurial culture for post-secondary students and recent graduates in the Greater Sudbury region.
The position has been created through an On Campus Entrepreneurship Activities grant awarded to Laurentian University in collaboration with Cambrian College and Collège Boréal, and in partnership with NORCAT. The new Entrepreneurship Coordinator, Matthieu Dasys, will build and implement a program to foster a strong entrepreneurial culture across all four institutions, creating experiential learning opportunities for students and recent grads, and helping them to start new businesses.
“There are so many smart and enthusiastic young entrepreneurs in our midst, with terrific ideas,” said Dasys, who graduated in 2014 with an Honours B. Comm from Laurentian University. “We can help them to refine their ideas, test their models and launch viable enterprises, with the support of this program.”
Funded through Ontario’s Youth Job Strategy and managed by the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), the OCEA program is designed to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit and cultivate opportunities for innovation in Ontario’s young people.
“Fostering the entrepreneurial spirit among students is a key component of Ontario’s Youth Jobs Strategy, through programs that help transfer their ideas and skills to the marketplace while creating rewarding careers,” said Reza Moridi, Ontario’s Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. “By partnering with colleges and universities to support entrepreneurship, we are ensuring our province’s business leaders of tomorrow are getting the support they need to succeed today.”
Among the initiatives and learning opportunities to be led by the On Campus Entrepreneurship Activities office are boot camps and seminars in business development and funding; guest speakers; internship and mentoring possibilities, and a repository of best practice models. The OCEA grant will fund the position from December, 2014 to November, 2016.
“This program was created to support students who are seeking to grow and expand new businesses. The promotion of entrepreneurship endeavors has been recognized as a shared interest among all three post-secondary institutions. Collège Boréal proudly supports all exercises facilitating the partnership and collaboration of educational institutions,” said Pierre Riopel, Collège Boréal President.”
“This much-welcomed government funding paves the way for Sudbury’s three postsecondary institutions to work together to support the entrepreneurs in our community,” said Cambrian College President Bill Best. “Small businesses create building blocks for economic growth in our communities, so by providing support for our students and grads through this new OCEA grant, we are taking an important step in ensuring their success.”
“The NORCAT Innovation Mill is excited to be a part of the On Campus Entrepreneurship Activities initiative here in Sudbury. We look forward to working with and supporting Laurentian, Cambrian and Boreal to foster entrepreneurism across their campuses,” said Kyle McCall, Coordinator, NORCAT Innovation Mill.
“Ontario Centres of Excellence is pleased to be able to deliver this project as a trusted partner of the Government of Ontario,” added Tom Corr, DBA, President and CEO of Ontario Centres of Excellence. “I look forward to putting our years of experience in connecting academia and industry, and our on-going support of young entrepreneurs to good use in making this initiative a tremendous success.”
Sudbury-designed solar power system to have major field test
Photo-voltaic cells to provide clean energy will be deployed off Maltese coast
AUGUST 19, 2014 – An innovative and energy-smart concept to harness clean solar power for multiple applications will have its first major field test in the Mediterranean sea, off the island of Malta, early in 2015. Conceived and developed by researchers at MIRARCO and Laurentian University in Sudbury, the demonstration project is being supported by the Government of Malta, the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, and other research partners.
The Offshore Passive Photo-voltaic (OPPV) Project will use thin solar panels (photo-voltaic cells) floating on the water’s surface to generate energy. The array of panels, measuring about 20 meters by 20 meters, is expected to have a peak output of 8kW, enough power for two typical 3-bedroom homes.
“The goal of the demonstration project is to find alternative ways for Malta to generate clean energy, since it is a small island and doesn’t have the land space to install solar panels on the ground,” says MIRARCO researcher Kim Trapani. “We believe our system is a substantial improvement on other forms of marine renewable energy, such as offshore wind, rigid offshore photo-voltaic structures, wave and tidal energy. The floating PV panels do not pose a collision risk, and should require very low maintenance.”
Originally from Malta, Dr. Trapani completed her Ph.D. at Laurentian University with thesis advisor Dr. Dean Millar, Professor in the Bharti School of Engineering and the MIRARCO Research Chair of Energy in Mining. Dr. Millar is particularly interested in the potential applications of the OPPV project in mining.
“Wherever they are located, mines tend to consume appreciable amounts of energy to support mineral production,” said Dr. Millar. “The Maltese demonstration project is a world first that aims to prove thin-film PV technology in the saltwater marine environment, but it has also been developed as an electricity generating system for mines.” The flexible laminated panels will float on the surface of the water of tailings ponds, said Dr. Millar. “The panels could form a barrier to isolate wildlife from the tailings waters, while the panels generate electricity for the mine.”
Drs Trapani and Millar have published research suggesting that for remote mines like the Ring of Fire, the cost per kilowatt-hour produced with the PV systems is lower than the cost of installing and running diesel-powered generators. “Our OPPV technology could have game-changing implications for the mining industry, especially with remote minesites, by providing clean and cheap energy that can be set up where needed with relatively little infrastructure. These demonstration projects aim to prove longer term reliability,” said Dr. Millar.
The award, announced today in Ottawa by the Canada Foundation for Innovation/Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation, will provide Dr. Ye with $83,112 in further support for the development of various polymer nanomaterials for advanced applications.
A Professor with Laurentian University’s Bharti School of Engineering and the Department of Chemistry and Bio-chemistry, Dr. Ye and his team have been working to develop new applications for these materials , including nanostructured electrode materials for energy storage in super-capacitors, functionalized gold nanorods for cancer therapeutics, and nano-compartmented metal catalysts for chemical reactions.
“The potential applications for Dr. Ye’s research are impressive, with game-changing possibilities in so many diverse fields. We congratulate Zhibin and his team on this latest acknowledgement of their important work,” said Acting Dean, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Dr. Osman Abou-Rabia.
Through the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (previously named Leaders Opportunity Fund) helps Canadian institutions to attract and retain the very best of today’s and tomorrow’s researchers by offering institutions the opportunity to
Acquire infrastructure for their leading research faculty to undertake cutting-edge research; and
Create competitive research support packages in the form of infrastructure and a portion of the operating and maintenance costs from the CFI, coupled with direct research costs from partner organizations.