TRIUMF, Canada’s National Laboratory for Particle and Nuclear Physics, is one of 11 institutions to receive a C$14.95 million award from the Canadian government after competing with 110 proposals in the Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) competition, within the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) programme. Advanced Applied Physics Solutions Inc (AAPS), a not-for-profit affiliate of TRIUMF, will initially commercialize technological innovation from TRIUMF, such as the laser-production of diamond-like carbon foils, and bring it to the marketplace. AAPS has been incorporated and is putting together a formalized business plan to pursue R&D projects with business venture partners in Canada, China, France and the US.
The award will provide seed funding to accelerate the testing of ideas and innovations developed in the course of TRIUMF’s work as a laboratory for basic research. The mission of AAPS is to improve the quality of life of people worldwide by developing technologies emerging from worldwide subatomic physics research. AAPS will collaborate with academic, government, and industry stakeholders to research and develop promising technologies, bringing them to a commercially viable stage. These include developing a new underground imaging system to improve productivity in the natural resources sector, and other technologies with a range of applications, including medical-isotope production and pollution mitigation.
The NCE is an agency of the Canadian government that supports partnerships between universities, industry, government and not-for-profit organizations with a view to connecting leading-edge research with industrial expertise and strategic investments, in order to boost Canada’s leadership in Science and Technology (S&T). Its goal is to create internationally recognized centres of commercialization and research expertise to deliver economic, health, social, and environmental benefits to Canadians, as well as to encourage entrepreneurial and advantages for people, and greater S&T investments from the private sector.