nanoFAB Secures Major CFI Infrastructure Funding

The University of Alberta’s nanoFAB Centre has been awarded $14.5 million through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Innovation Fund, with matching provincial funding (currently pending) and $6 million in industry in-kind contributions. The project, called ELEVATES, will expand the facility’s capacity for advanced semiconductor fabrication and materials characterization, strengthening one of Canada’s key open-access research platforms supporting academic and industry development in micro and nanotechnology.

ELEVATES is designed to streamline process development, boost productivity, and close critical gaps in materials characterization and device fabrication. The project will support faster research iteration and optimized processing, enabling researchers to move more efficiently from concept to prototype through to manufacturing. These capabilities will benefit a wide range of application areas, including photonics, quantum technologies, sensors, biomedical technologies, and energy systems.

The nanoFAB Centre is a core research facility at the University of Alberta and a central hub for micro and nanoscale research, supporting more than 150 academic and 50 industrial groups. Each year, the facility helps train over 500 highly qualified personnel, including graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who rely on its specialized tools and technical expertise.

The new infrastructure will expand access and increase the availability of tools to meet growing demand for advanced training and fabrication resources. Planned upgrades include new capabilities in electroplating and large-area micro and nanoscale 3D printing, as well as advanced characterization tools such as ultra-high-resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy with Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy  (EELS), Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS), and Environmental-SEM / Environmental-AFM. The project will also enhance existing lithography, etching, deposition, spectroscopy, and microscopy systems used across the facility.

Together, these investments will strengthen nanoFAB’s role as a national research platform and expand opportunities for engineering researchers, students, and industry partners working at the frontiers of micro and nanotechnology.