$1 million reasons to smile

Lakehead University’s new Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering and Sciences (CASES) received a welcome boost from the City of Thunder Bay during city council’s July 23, 2018 meeting.

City council unanimously approved a $1 million commitment to CASES, a building renovation and expansion project that will help position Lakehead University and Northwestern Ontario as a key Canadian research and innovation hub by improving the scale and quality of leading research, training, and entrepreneurship.

With CASES state-of-the-art laboratory space, advanced training courses, and a business incubator space called Ingenuity, it will provide the pipeline from discovery research to commercialization, and support Northwestern Ontario’s next generation of students, scientists, engineers, and high-growth businesses.

"This funding will make it possible for our talented researchers and students to do their work to the fullest of their abilities in new labs with state-of-the-art equipment," said Andrew Dean, Vice-President of Research and Innovation. “It’s extremely essential we provide the best tools and opportunities for these chairs and high-performing researchers.”

The 42,000 square-foot building will feature new research and laboratory spaces, providing students with more opportunities to engage in hands-on, experiential learning, right on campus, and will include space for a number of school’s including Canada Research Chairs. The new building is designed to meet LEED Gold certification, aligning with the current research of environmentally sustainable infrastructure at Lakehead.

As a component of CASES, Ingenuity will serve as a Student Entrepreneur Centre – an innovative, student-based start-up space focusing on business mentorship and entrepreneurship training, and a brand-new graduate student lounge.

The project has already received contributions of $9 million from the federal government, and another $6.5 million from the province.