Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to the committee today.
I am here representing TRIUMF, Canada's national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics research.
For this year's pre-budget consultations, TRIUMF submitted a proposal recommending the creation of an initiative to strengthen Canada's innovation in science, medicine, and business. Dubbed CAPTURE, Canada's Accelerator Platform To Unleash Research Excellence, the proposal seeks to unlock TRIUMF's capacity to produce scientific, economic, and societal benefits for all Canadians.
Before I describe CAPTURE, however, I'd like to speak briefly about TRIUMF. Owned and operated by a consortium of 18 Canadian universities, TRIUMF is a national hub for leading edge research in nuclear and particle physics, fields in which Canada ranks as a global leader, according to the Council of Canadian Academies, and fields in which TRIUMF plays a significant role in sustaining Canada's global research excellence.
In recent years, TRIUMF has expanded its mission to include materials science and nuclear medicine, new fields, I will argue, in which TRIUMF's expertise can add to the prosperity and well-being of Canadians.
In line with the theme of this session, I would also like to highlight TRIUMF's long history of translating its scientific expertise into competitive advantage for Canadian industry. Amongst its peers in the international subatomic physics community, TRIUMF stands out for its record of exceptional collaboration with industry. Starting 36 years ago, through its partnership with Nordion for the production of medical isotopes, TRIUMF has fostered the growth and competitiveness of domestic companies, such as ACSI and PAVAC Industries. In addition, the laboratories also generated economic benefit through its work with large multinational firms, including CISCO, Intel, and Toyota.
In 2008, to increase its commercial engagement, TRIUMF created its own non-profit company, Advanced Applied Physics Solutions, or AAPS. During the past five years, AAPS has spun off five new businesses, each of which is adapting TRIUMF technologies to industrial needs, providing new capabilities in sectors ranging from mining to medical imaging, for the benefit of Canada.
Now let me return to CAPTURE, the laboratory's proposal to the pre-budget consultation. With CAPTURE, TRIUMF seeks to build on success and secure Canada's world leadership position in isotope science. The most critical element of CAPTURE is to strengthen TRIUMF's core capabilities, allowing the timely completion of ARIEL, the laboratory's newest and most advanced facility. Under construction since 2010, this $100 million facility, currently two-thirds complete, represents the future of TRIUMF. ARIEL is on time and on budget. When complete, it will nearly triple TRIUMF's output. It will keep the laboratory on the cutting edge of research excellence, and increase opportunities for engagement with industrial partners.
CAPTURE also seeks to transform TRIUMF into a true multidisciplinary laboratory by augmenting its programs in nuclear medicine and materials science. These are strategic moves that will unleash the full value of past investments in the laboratory.
Medicine and materials are promising areas with great economic relevance, both of which will leverage ARIEL. Strengthening them will help Canada make breakthroughs in commercially relevant sectors, ranging from the treatment of cancer to the development of advanced batteries.
Triumph has been a tremendous success for Canada. It is remarkable what TRIUMF has achieved with a base operating budget that is set to be frozen from 2005 through 2020. The proposal we are making for Budget 2015 is that with CAPTURE, an additional investment in this remarkable facility, Canada can truly benefit from TRIUMF's untapped potential in isotope research, nuclear medicine, and materials science.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.