Alberta is investing $100 million over three years to turn the 56-year-old Biological Sciences building at the University of Alberta into a world-leading STEM and life sciences research and education hub.

The facility will transform into the Life Sciences Innovation and Future Technologies (LIFT) Centre, a shared laboratory complex where researchers, students and industry partners can work together to solve urgent problems facing Alberta and the broader world. The facility is expected to double much-needed laboratory spaces for hands-on experimentation and increase access to high-demand programs across the university.

The project will be built in five phases and enable the University of Alberta to double the number of laboratory seats from 1,600 to 3,200, allowing for almost 2,500 new domestic students to access undergraduate programs in the faculties of Science, and Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences. There will also be about 700 additional graduate student spaces.

“This substantial investment will advance Alberta as a global leader in STEM and life sciences research and education,” said Bill Flanagan, president and vice-chancellor, University of Alberta. “It’s an exciting time at the university, as this investment enhances our position as an internationally renowned centre of innovation and knowledge and increases our capacity to educate the next generation of leaders and changemakers.”