University of Calgary receives $55 million in provincial funding

Researchers in seven-floor science hub will tackle ‘world’s biggest problems’: dean

The University of Calgary is a step closer to realizing its vision of a facility where researchers from a variety of fields can join forces to seek solutions to complex problems, including food insecurity.

The university received $55 million from the province, allotted in its 2024 budget, toward the construction of a seven-floor space where researchers in areas including neuroscience, chemistry, energy and plant biology will combine their expertise in centralized laboratories.

“The world’s biggest problems — like food security, antibiotic resistance — can no longer be solved by a single researcher sitting in a lab working alone,” Kristin Baetz, dean of the university’s faculty of science, said at a news conference Friday.

“The questions of tomorrow will only be answered by diverse groups of scientists from different disciplines,” said Baetz, who holds a PHD from the University of Toronto in medical genetics and microbiology.

The project’s planning received $5 million from the province in September to “ensure any future taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and effectively,” Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney said at the time.

The new funding will be given to the university in the 2025 fiscal year, but construction will soon begin on the building, which will add 2,000 full-time graduate and undergraduate spaces and is slated to be completed by 2029.

Baetz said the building is designed with an incubator space — offices companies can use with little or no cost — to “work sideby-side with industry partners to solve challenges with science and grow Alberta’s economy.”

Sawhney also cited the economic benefits of the facility.

“This investment and the others in budget 2024 recognize the crucial role post-secondary institutions play in meeting the needs of our economy,” she said.

The announcement was applauded by the university’s students’ union, but it called for better funding for post-secondaries to improve existing spaces and rein in tuition hikes.

The students’ union said the recent provincial budget actually slashed per-capita funding for post-secondaries by 7.3 per cent.

“Class sizes continue to balloon in size, and many students are forced to take their classes in buildings that are falling apart as the university is $740 million behind in repairs and maintenance,” the union said.

Provincial funding fell by 31 per cent over a five-year period, states a 2022 report by Higher Education Strategy Associates. Meanwhile, tuition has ballooned by approximately 33 per cent since 2019.

“The SU is concerned that the province will once again look toward major tuition increases to make up the difference,” the students’ union’s statement read.

“Without an increase in operating funding for universities, students’ quality of education will continue to be jeopardized. When students’ education is at risk, the Alberta economy is at risk.”