24,7 M $ for establishing the

Centre of Excellence in Information Engineering

Sherbrooke, 11 June 2007 – The Université de Sherbrooke announced the second building of the Parc innovation de l’Université de Sherbrooke : the Centre of Excellence in Information Engineering (CEGI). The 24,7 M $ building will be an interdisciplinary research environment unique in Canada with an initial focus on telehealth and assistive technologies.

The building construction can be undertaken thanks to a 10 M$ grant from the ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation of Québec, a grant of 6,6 M$ from Economic Development Canada, and a further contribution of 8,1 M$ from Université de Sherbrooke. Construction will begin in the fall of 2008 with an official opening in the fall of 2010.

This project from the Université will energize the Eastern Townships region by exercising leadership in the knowledge-based economy, as explained by the Principal, Professor Bruno-Marie Béchard : « The Centre of Excellence in Information Engineering is another milestone for the Parc Innovation de l'Université de Sherbrooke, which enhances our force of attraction and our tightly knit university - industry community, well recognized as among the most innovative in Canada. Thus, more than ever, Sherbrooke establishes itself as one of the world’s capitals of innovation. »

The high caliber of research that will take place in the CEGI will be the keystone of a large number of academic and industrial collaborations, as indicated by the Vice-principal for research, Professor Edwin Bourget. « The industry currently demands a broadening of scientific and technical know-how related to information engineering. By centralising its activities in a single physical centre, the CEGI will gather well established researchers from the faculties of Engineering, Sciences, Physical Education and Medecine to work on tangible projects with strong potential for short term impact. In the course of its first five years of operation, the Centre of Excellence intends to generate more than 90 licenses as well as 28,5 M$ in research grants and contracts.

Two thirds of the 5 735 m2 building will be assigned to university research and one third will be reserved for joint projects between university and industry partners. The CEGI will deliver on industry needs through a research model that simultaneously investigates technology from innovative sensors to telecommunications, as well as signal processing and information use within the context of a concrete application. Three projects have already reached beyond the design phase : telesupervision of trauma surgery, a robot for telepresence in the home, and a microwave/optical emitter for software defined radio applications.

The Centre will gather under the same roof more than 150 people including six research chairs, three centres, four laboratories and one research team.  Mobile robotics, intelligent systems, nanotechnologies, medical imaging, kinesiology, communication and networking tools are all part of the expertise being brought to bear on the research projects. This exciting locale will constitute an exceptional training ground for graduate students for both fundamental and applied research. Over the next five years, more than 230 graduate students will be trained in the CEGI.

A continuum of research activities

The CEGI will support two major central laboratories: a 21st century design and prototyping facility and an experimentation hall. The latter will make it possible to develop and validate complete systems in a test environment capable of emulating real environments, indicated the director of the CEGI, Professor Jacques Beauvais. « This will be a world class test bench, which will reproduce the specific conditions of a metropolitan telecommunication network linked to a scientific recording studio. For example, it will be possible in the experimentation hall to simulate information exchange between hospitals for developing and validating telehealth applications. »

As for the 21st century design and prototyping facility, it will include all the necessary tools and equipment for processing materials and for fabricating devices and circuits. The heart of this facility will be the 1 436 m2 cleanrooms in the CEGI research building. This micro/nanofabrication facility will be part of a world class infrastructure for designing and producing sensors as well as photonic and electronic devices and circuits. « As Pasteur said, the role of the infinitely small is infinitely large, indicated Professor Beauvais. Nanotechnologies and microelectronics pave the way towards surprising discoveries for industries as varied as pharmaceuticals, electronics, transport, energy and textiles. »

The Parc Innovation de l’Université de Sherbrooke

Lancé en décembre 2006 avec le projet Centre de technologies avancées BRP-UdeS, le Parc Innovation de l'Université de Sherbrooke est voué à accélérer l'initiative scientifique de recherche et de développement d'origine régionale, nationale et internationale. Des entreprises privées et des organismes gouvernementaux y établissent des partenariats de recherche intenses avec les professeurs dans les domaines d'expertise de l'Université. Déployé dans une perspective de développement durable, le Parc facilite l'accès des étudiants aux équipements spécialisés de haut calibre pour la réalisation de projets de recherche conjoints. Ces partenariats favorisent l'interaction et la synergie entre les spécialistes de la recherche et ceux du développement industriel de pointe.