CFI’s Research Facilities Navigator adds major equipment in federal labs to its inventory

Speaking on Friday, November 9 at the 2018 Canadian Science Policy Conference in Ottawa, Chief Science Advisor Dr. Mona Nemer announced that all major equipment in federal labs will become part of the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Research Facilities Navigator inventory, which previously only included infrastructure in academic settings like universities, teaching hospitals and colleges. With this change, any qualified person will be able to identify “what infrastructure we have in Canada, exactly where it is, and if it will be accessible to everyone,” said Dr. Nemer. The move promises to improve communication between intramural and extramural science, and to ensure more efficient use of the facilities. Dr. Nemer affirmed that the change highlights “how serious the federal leadership in science is about collaboration and working with the post-secondary institutions and the private sector.” The announcement was made at the opening of a panel discussion titled “Science and the next generation: partnerships and collaborative infrastructure as enablers.”