Providing quality healthcare tomorrow depends on how we, as a society, invest in health research today. Yet, for years, researchers, innovators and healthcare leaders have noted how a shortage of research and wet-lab facilities has limited Eastern Ontario’s potential to be a leader in health innovation and biotech commercialization.
This has also impeded the region’s ability to attract and retain top global talent in health innovation.
The University of Ottawa is stepping in to bridge the gap by making the largest capital investment in its history. In May, it broke ground on the Advanced Medical Research Centre, a new seven-storey state-of-the-art facility built adjacent to the Faculty of Medicine, and in close proximity to the Ottawa Hospital General Campus and CHEO.
Sylvain Charbonneau, the vice-president of research and innovation at uOttawa, says the vision is to encourage an ecosystem based on a “quadruple helix” of university, clinical and government researchers and industry R&D working together to take the already successful sector to the next level.
“It is extremely important for us to build for the future, and that is the role the Advanced Medical Research Centre will play,” explains Charbonneau.
Unprecedented Investment
There is no such facility in Eastern Ontario. At 350,000 sq. ft., the seven-storey building will be one of the largest in the province dedicated to research innovation and commercialization in the life sciences sector. “What is lacking in Ottawa are the facilities to support the whole innovation ecosystem in the life sciences,” Charbonneau says, adding that the facility will go a long way to retaining the best and brightest researchers and students. “When you attract these individuals, they are always asking about their ability to start a company, and the cornerstone of that will be the Ottawa Health Innovation Hub,” he explains.
The cornerstone of the AMRC is the Health Innovation Hub slated to open in 2026, focusing not only on enabling the discovery of life-saving therapies but also incubating and scaling up the next generation of biotech companies. It will be a space in which researchers, health care professionals and industry experts can meet and collaborate to drive continuous progress in healthcare. An economic study commissioned by uOttawa predicts that companies resulting from the facility will generate $320 million in revenues and investments by 2030, and will create more than 1,300 jobs. The facility will also receive a LEED Gold designation for sustainability. 
$1.1 billion contribution
Overall, the study forecasts that the AMRC will contribute almost $1.1 billion to Ontario’s economy by 2030 and employ up to 650 researchers.
Located on Smyth Road, the facility will include several floors of laboratory space, including “wet labs,” as well as “shell” space that will leave room for further expansion. The technology will allow for cutting-edge research in fields such as neurosciences, cancer therapies, vascular and cardiovascular health and other strategic areas of research.
The configuration of the building will also encourage collaboration, says Geoffrey Frigon, associate vice-president of facilities at uOttawa. The wet lab spaces will be an open floor concept and will provide access to a full suite of core facilities, which will be available for all researchers and entrepreneurs. “It will be an optimal use of space from an architectural standpoint.” The project is unique in its embrace of bringing the research, incubation and acceleration stages together with the private sector, he adds. “We are creating a nice ecosystem in this science field that doesn’t exist in Ottawa.”
Designed by Parkin Architects, built by PCL Construction and employing WSP Engineering, the actual building will be “quite grand,” says Frigon, and will feature an airy, light-filled atrium as well as a second-floor terrace where researchers can go to clear their heads. “There is simply no other space like this in the region to inspire creativity and innovation in health research,” he says.
This article first appeared in the September 2024 special “City Building” issue of the Ottawa Business Journal. That publication is available in its digital edition below:
