McGuinty Government Supporting Research Super Computers Investment Will Help Speed Up Research And Encourage Breakthroughs

     KINGSTON, ON, Sept. 22 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is supporting a

leading-edge virtual laboratory that will help cultivate scientific knowledge

and lead to quicker research breakthroughs in Ontario, MPP John Gerretsen

announced today.

     "By providing more support for researchers, we are investing in one of

Ontario's greatest assets - the skills and knowledge of our dynamic academic

community," said Gerretsen, who made the announcement on behalf of Premier and

Minister of Research and Innovation Dalton McGuinty. "Our government is doing

its part to invest in local research excellence to make Ontario an innovative

economic power."

     The Ministry of Research and Innovation is investing $11.5 million in

Queen's University's High Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory (HPCVL) to

support up to 1,600 researchers over the next five years. This brings the

total investment by the Ontario government in HPCVL up to $39.2 million.

     Led by Queen's University in Kingston, HPCVL is a network of seven

Ontario research institutions including Royal Military College, the University

of Ottawa, Carleton University, Loyalist College, Ryerson University and

Seneca College.

     Partner institutions house the computer clusters and run the network,

which provides high-performance computing resources to researchers across

Canada.

     HPCVL provides high-speed computations for researchers in fields such as

population health, photonics, psychology, economics and civil engineering.

This cutting-edge research requires intricate mathematical calculations and

analysis that would take years to perform on even the most sophisticated

desktop computer. Using HPCVL, researchers can get data and analysis in weeks,

days or hours.

     The investment comes from the $550-million Ontario Research Fund. Through

the fund, the McGuinty government is making sure Ontario researchers have the

resources to lead our province into a new era of innovation.

     Investing in innovative research and development is the latest example of

how the McGuinty government is working on the side of businesses and families

to strengthen Ontario's economy.

     Other initiatives include:

     -   Encouraging strong job creation, with 268,000 net new jobs since

         taking office

     -   Helping to generate almost $7 billion in automotive investments that

         retain and create thousands of high-value jobs

     -   Launching a $500-million Advanced Manufacturing Investment Strategy

         to help manufacturers develop cutting-edge technologies

     -   Investing $6.2 billion in our universities, colleges, student

         financial assistance and training programs.

     "Supporting successful research at Ontario's post-secondary institutions

strengthens the quality of research talent that enters the workforce," said

McGuinty. "Our government recognizes that robust research will help ensure

that this province remains globally competitive."