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NSERC Names Research Director for NanoIP
Ottawa, Ontario, May 23, 2002 – Tom Brzustowski, President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), today announced that Dr. Peter Grütter of McGill University has been appointed Research Director of NSERC's Nano Innovation Platform (NanoIP). Dr. Grütter, who is an Associate Professor of Physics at McGill University, was recently named one of Canada's top young scientific researchers under 40 years of age. He is an NSERC Steacie Fellow (2001), a McGill William Dawson Scholar and an Associate Member of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR) Nanoelectronics Program. The NSERC Nano Innovation Platform will be a 'virtual institute' involving scientists and engineers from a wide range of disciplines who will work at measuring, building and manipulating things one atom at a time. A nanometre has a width of ten hydrogen atoms lined up. "The NanoIP will strengthen Canada's position in this exciting field and will provide Canadian industry with opportunities for early applications," said Dr. Brzustowski. One of Dr. Grütter's first priorities will be to set up an advisory board that will bring together the perspectives of all disciplines involved in nanoscience and nanotechnology. With the advisory board, Dr. Grütter will determine the most effective ways to invest the $1 million annual budget initially dedicated to the NanoIP. NSERC hopes to increase this budget substantially when more funding is available. Dr. Grütter and the NanoIP Advisory Board will work to co-ordinate nanoscience and nanotechnology research in Canadian universities and will collaborate with such organizations as the recently announced NanoQuebec initiative and the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) in Edmonton. Dr. Grütter's own research is at the leading edge of scanning probe microscopy which allows us to see materials at the atomic level. He is the co-inventor of magnetic force microscopy. The Innovation Platform is a new initiative designed to give NSERC a more strategic role in shaping the direction of Canadian research in a targeted area. NSERC plans to launch several more Innovation Platforms as funding becomes available. NSERC is a key federal agency investing in people, discovery and innovation. The Council supports both basic university research through research grants, and project research through partnerships among universities, governments and the private sector, as well as the advanced training of highly qualified people. As part of an effort to place Canada at the forefront of the global knowledge-based economy, the Government of Canada has launched a new initiative to address skills and innovation challenges for the next decade. On February 12, Industry Canada released a blueprint entitled Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity, one of two papers that lay out the government's goals, targets and priorities. The discussion includes ways of creating knowledge and bringing ideas to market more quickly, ensuring a skilled workforce, modernizing business and regulatory policies, and strengthening communities by supporting innovation at the local level. For more information about Canada's Innovation Strategy or to
obtain a copy of either Knowledge Matters: Skills and
Learning for Canadians or Achieving Excellence:
Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity, please
call 1 800 O-CANADA For more information, contact: Dr. Wm. (Bill) Coderre Dr. Peter Grütter |
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