International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan announced $1.9 million in federal funding on Friday to support the creation of the Environmental Solutions Innovation Hub at UNBC.
The funding, which was provided by the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada – PacifiCan – will allow UNBC to purchase new equipment and allowed the university to hire two specialized technicians to operate the new tools, UNBC researcher Hossein Kazemian said. Kazemian is the head of the Northern Analytical Laboratory Services (NALS) at UNBC.
“It’s beyond words the importance of these funds for our facility,” he said. “The new equipment will allow us to measure very low concentrations of pollutants. This funding secures us for the next five, ten years in terms of equipment.”
The labs can test for air, soil and water contamination, Kazemian said, which means that tests don’t have to be sent to the Lower Mainland.
NALS started with only one part-time technician, he added, and with the two new additions to the team it now employs four techs full-time. After four years of work, the labs are now internationally accredited.
“We have many partners in local industry and national industry,” Kazemian said. “(And) we work wit the BC (Centre for Disease Control) on air pollution.”
In addition to working with industry, he said, 15 post-doctoral students and 45 students from other faculties use the labs on a daily basis.
The creation of the Environmental Solutions Innovation Hub will support the development of new environmental technologies and solutions.
“This is an exciting day for UNBC,” UNBC president Geoff Payne said. “Research in these areas is not only (important) for B.C., but for Canada and globally.”
Sajjan said the investment in research will help support industry in the north and across B.C. and Canada.
“This hub will connect industry with world-class solutions,” he said. “I look forward to seeing all the results you’re going to have right here in northern B.C. The investment here is not just for B.C., it is for the whole world.”
