State-of-the-Art Equipment and Major Renovations for Food Sciences Laboratories
18 February 2015
More than $3M for laboratory renovations and nearly $2M in equipment awarded
In October, Dr. Laurent Bazinet and nine of his colleagues from the Department of Food Sciences received a grant totalling $3,876,412 from the Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Exports for the purchasing of equipment and the renovation of laboratories 1414, 1420 and 1434 in the Paul-Comtois pavilion.
The request, submitted by partners including the FSAA, Université Laval and the François-Bourgeois Fund (without which the request would not have been able to be made), was made in parallel with a request for equipment made to the Canada Foundation for Innovation Leaders Fund. This additional funding was obtained by Laurent Bazinet at the end of summer 2014 for a total of $996,950.00.
Renovations to the research laboratories, which date to the creation of the Paul-Comtois pavilion, will bring the laboratories up to standards, make equipment more efficient, streamline equipment expenditures and maximize resources. The acquisition of new state-of-the-art equipment will also help position the Department of Food Sciences as a leader in the field of food safety and the eco-design of food products.
This platform will consist of:
1) a development unit for new processes and innovative lines of production with the goal of obtaining active products and high quality, safe ingredients though environmentally friendly processes;
2) a laboratory for functional and safety purposes that will allow for the development of new food concepts;
3) a food systems analysis unit that will utilize all physico-chemical food materials characterization techniques. The work, expected to take one and a half years, is set to begin at the end of spring 2016.
This platform will consist of:
1) a development unit for new processes and innovative lines of production with the goal of obtaining active products and high quality, safe ingredients though environmentally friendly processes;
2) a laboratory for functional and safety purposes that will allow for the development of new food concepts;
3) a food systems analysis unit that will utilize all physico-chemical food materials characterization techniques. The work, expected to take one and a half years, is set to begin at the end of spring 2016.