Univ of Waterloo set to become major centre of applied nanotech research expertise

Focus on Waterloo

Just two years after its creation, the Waterloo Institute of Nanotechnology (WIN) is gearing up to move into the largest and most expensive building in the history of the Univ of Waterloo. With renowned researcher and research administrator Dr Arthur Carty at the helm, expectations are running high that when the ambitious $160-million complex opens next year it will usher in a new era of collaborative research that will yield both short- and long-term benefits.

With state-of-the-art infrastructure and more than $50 million worth of specialized equipment, the institute — overseen by a board of directors and an international scientific advisory board — will dramatically increase the amount of nano-related research . The enthusiasm being generated on campus was heightened this week when the university graduated its first class of 65 nanotechnology engineering students from the largest program of its kind in Canada.

Within the university's research community, WIN has gone from three founding departments to eight with the prospect of even more as awareness of the potential for cross-disciplinary collaboration grows. Fundamental research will be key at WIN, but two thirds of activity will have an engineering base, emphasizing applied S&T that could lead to a host of applications with commercial potential.

"This is truly inter-disciplinary. It's not a unique model but it's a very large one," says Carty. "I'm trying to build the environment here to work on major projects."

What may be unique is the university's decision to co-situation WIN in the new 26,400 sq-m facility with the university's Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC). To be known as the Quantum Nano Centre (IQC), the facility will occupy roughly equal amounts of space and use shared facilities including clean rooms and a metrology facility for laboratories that are ultra quiet and free of vibration or electrical noise.

A number of researchers from both institutes are already cross-appointed to both organizations and Carty says there is significant crossover in the areas of micro-optics and photonics and next-generation quantum devices. The unique characteristics of the new facility will encourage even more such collaboration.

"If you look at the funding that has gone into this building, it has definitely been a high priority. We've taken one of the sweetest spots on campus to erect this building. It's the most expensive building on campus in terms of complexity," says Scot Nicoll, the Univ of Waterloo's special projects and facilities manager. "One of the things that draws people together here is the tool sets and the facilities that lend themselves to a broad spectrum of activity. One of the principles of the building is that it be very flexible in its design in terms of scientific utility and that makes it very convertible. It may be a little bit more expensive at the front end but it makes convergence down the road easier."

IQC is currently in an interim or "swing" facility on the university's north campus. The 5,600-sq-m structure was erected two years ago when IQC had to vacate its original home that was owned by Research In Motion Ltd.

international linkages

Carty has long been recognized for his championing of international collaboration, having forged many partnership while president of the National Research Council (1994-2004) and National Science Advisor to the Prime Minister and Government of Canada (2004-2008). Carty is continuing his international efforts with numerous trips abroad, particularly Asia. His links to Taiwan are so extensive that in 2008 he was appointed as a science advisor to that country's premier and is a member of the Board of Taiwan's Executive Yuan Science and Technology Group.

"Our vision is to be an inter-disciplinary global centre of excellence for nanotechnology and its applications. We have to earn that title and get out there and build the partnerships, establishing relationships with similar institutions throughout the world," he says. "The NRC was very focused on strategic goals. It had a model of strategic objectives rather than just discovery-based research. Teams were emphasized and I'm trying to do that with nanotechnology. That has helped me at WIN."

WIN recently signed an agreement with Japan's National Institute for Materials Science, the nation's largest materials research institute located in Tsukuba and one of the world's top five. A two day workshop had already been held in Japan to be followed by a similar event in Waterloo.

With India, WIN has signed agreements with three leading institutes under the Canada-India S&T agreement: Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (materials science), the 101-year-old Indian Institute of Science (three projects underway) and the Mumbai-based Indian Institute of Science focused on nano-electronics.

Ontario connections growing

Within Ontario, WIN's sphere of potential collaborators could grow exponentially with the pending launch of Nano Ontario. The Univ of Waterloo is one of six academic stakeholders for the group, which aims to establish a comprehensive program of development for provincial nano R&D activity across institutions and industry, both within Canada and internationally. Headed by Walter Stewart, a senior advisor on research capacity building at the Toronto Regional Research Alliance, Nano Ontario has already established an interim board with Carty as a member.

"The Ontario government did not have an industrial strategy and nano was not given much of an opportunity so this is a significant step in the right direction," says Carty, adding that the organization is currently seeking seed funding. Ontario is home to about 40% of nanotechnology activity in Canada.

In addition to funding from traditional sources, WIN recently received $29 million from an anonymous donor for nanotechnology research and education, $10 million of which will be used to fund nano-fellowships for graduate students. Carty says that once interest rates rise it should be enough to support 40 fellowships annually. The bulk of the donation will support the creation of three endowed chairs at $4.5 million each, with the university providing matching funds.

"WIN will be producing the best and most highly qualified nano researchers in Canada," says Carty.

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