Canadian nanotechnology accelerator draws attention to Alberta based research with global award

(Nanowerk News) Ingenuity Lab, Alberta’s first nanotechnology accelerator, has been named ‘Best Nanotechnology Research Organization 2014' by The New Economy magazine, just under two years after its inception.
The award, which was presented to Ingenuity Lab Director, Carlo Montemagno, PhD last month at the London Stock Exchange studios, honours those who are breaking new ground across technology, energy, business and strategy landscapes.
“As researchers in a complex field, we have the added challenge of ensuring our progress is both visible and meaningful to the people it will touch and affect most,” says Montemagno. “This award affirms that we are on the right track and laboratory advances are indeed rippling into the communities where they matter.”
The 10-year provincially funded initiative was launched in November 2013 and is attracting the best and brightest minds from around the world. In partnership with the University of Alberta and Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, it anticipates to reach over $100M in funds leveraged from industry partners over the next decade and has developed a comprehensive research agenda that aims to address some of the province’s most pressing environmental, agricultural, industrial and health challenges.
“The depth and breadth of the research at Ingenuity Lab is really quite remarkable,” says Indira Samarasekera, President of the University of Alberta. “This leading-edge learning environment has helped unite academic communities and provided concrete opportunities for interdisciplinary progress both within and outside our university.”
“The international recognition Ingenuity Lab has achieved adds to Alberta’s growing global reputation for research and innovation excellence,” says Stephen Lougheed, CEO of Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures. “The strength of Alberta’s innovation system lies in the partnerships and collaborations it encourages between academic institutions, research institutions, businesses and industries.”
“We are the product of a bold vision and the dedication of many,” says Montemagno. “It feels great to be recognized so early on in our journey, especially by a publication like The New Economy, who truly has its finger on the pulse of novel and emergent technologies.”
Montemagno is also a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta, AITF Strategic Chair of Bionanotechnology, Canada Research Chair in Intelligent Nanosystems and Program Lead of Biomaterials at the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT).
Source: Ingenuity Lab