[SteelTown]

New centres for research at Mac park

Wade Hemsworth
The Hamilton Spectator
(Nov 27, 2007)

As the first new building of the McMaster Innovation Park (MIP) begins to move from concept to reality, the next stages are already on the drawing board.

In addition to the 2008 construction start planned for the new federal materials laboratory, there are "serious, strong" plans under way for two more new buildings, said Mo Elbestawi, McMaster's vice-president responsible for research.

One building will be for engineering technology research and another for biosciences.

While the MIP site has been quiet for months, aggressive work has been going on behind the scenes to transform the broad vision for the research park into practical reality.

The MIP is meant to combine public, private and university resources to cross-pollinate ideas across sectors and disciplines, to foster education and to create jobs and revenue as the ideas are commercialized.

The measure of the project's success, Elbestawi said, will be its ability to attract private investment, especially from companies that have strong research and development components.

The university is broadly targeting private-sector partners in materials and manufacturing, biosciences, energy research and software development, including animation, graphics and gaming.

McMaster bought the property -- which straddles Longwood Road South between Aberdeen Avenue and Main Street West -- in 2005.

As many as 14 buildings are planned for the MIP, with plans that include airy, campus-style landscaping with ponds, trees and interior roadways.

The design of the park and its individual buildings emphasizes collaboration, environmental sensitivity and accessibility to multiple forms of transportation.