The County of Lambton, the City of Sarnia and The University of Western Ontario announced a major research and economic development initiative for the Southwestern Ontario region at a media conference today.
The County of Lambton has established a Community Development Corporation (CDC) which has purchased the Dow Modeland Building Complex. This self-funding Corporation will foster research and development opportunities within the region and has entered into a management agreement with The University of Western Ontario’s Research and Development Park. Western’s Research and Development Park will manage the facility as their Sarnia-Lambton Campus. (SLC)
“This development complements Lambton’s recently approved strategic plan and is critical to increasing our community’s knowledge infrastructure, innovation capacity and ability to strengthen existing industrial sectors and enter emerging ones,” says Todd Case, Lambton County Warden.
The City of Sarnia has purchased the remaining 214 acres of land adjacent to the site which will be developed as a business park with uses complimentary to those of the SLC.
“The presence of the SLC will aid in the diversification of the local economy, assist in growth of the research and development capabilities, create educational opportunities to support our economy, and attract new members to the community,” says Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley. “This is the most important development to the City of Sarnia since the establishment of Lambton College and we are delighted to welcome The University of Western Ontario to Sarnia-Lambton.”
“As one of Canada’s top 10 research universities, Western is known as an institution with a strong local base in London and Middlesex County combined with regional, national and international stature in its teaching and research,” says Western’s President Paul Davenport. “This new, exciting initiative in Sarnia-Lambton will help us to continue building upon our research strengths, as called for in the University’s strategic plan.”
“This initiative builds on our success in London and reaches into an area in chemical valley that will provide new and innovative research opportunities for our faculty, staff, and students, particularly in engineering,” says Nils Petersen, Western’s Vice-President (Research). “The City of London does not have a chemical valley – our strengths are in areas such as biotechnology, health care, information technology, and manufacturing. We hope this initiative will do much to continue Western’s strong base in Southwestern Ontario.”
“This development is in line with Canada’s Innovation Strategy, requiring research universities to double research activities and triple commercialization performance over the next seven years,” adds Petersen.
John Kime, President of the London Economic Development Corporation, says, “This initiative provides a unique regional economic driver which will retain and attract top researchers and businesses to southern Ontario, enriching the region’s labour pool and knowledge base.”
The SLC, set to officially open early in 2004, will fund initiatives in the areas of industrial and contract research; academic outreach and professional development; and technology transfer and intellectual property commercialization. It will have direct access to firms for research and development collaboration, pilot projects and graduate placements that fit with Western’s research priorities and strengths.
The entire property purchased by both the County and the City cost approximately $7.5 million and all existing tenants including RMH Teleservices, Colt Engineering, Dow Chemical Canada Inc., and Family Counseling of Sarnia-Lambton will remain on site.
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Media contacts:
Marcia Steyaert
Communications & Public Affairs
The University of Western Ontario
Tel. (519) 661-2111 ext.85468
Cell: (519) 661-6883
steyaert@uwo.ca
Peter Hungerford
Economic Development & Corporate Planning – City of Sarnia
Tel. (519) 332-0330 ext.343
Cell: (519) 331-2098
pbh.edcp@city.sarnia.on.ca
Darlene Coke
Communications & Marketing County of Lambton
Tel. (519) 845-0801 ext.407
Cell: (519) 383-2101
darlene.coke@county-lambton.on.ca