U of L project receives boost from Canada Foundation for Innovation

“Usually, you invent a project, then you scale it back to what you can afford to do, or what you can do with space. Now, there’s no ceiling on being able to explore all the stuff that I’ve been wanting to for many years. It’s an unbelievable opportunity.”

Dr. Dena McMartin, U of L vice-president (research) said “funding from CFI is essential for supporting innovation and growing both the capacity and the opportunities for new partnerships that impact our regional communities, as well as the national landscape.”

“Professor Two Bears’ research program is a fundamental piece of that puzzle.”

Two Bears’ research program asks the question: what do reconciliation and decolonization look like in the digital age?

Funding will help with the development of a lab space in the University Centre for the Arts, where students and researchers will have the tools to develop new technology for production and experimentation in Indigenous media arts research, the space to create large-scale multimedia installations and the opportunity for intensive community engagement and partnership building with local, national and regional Indigenous groups, knowledge-keepers and elders.

The lab will allow for everything from screening films, to video projection, programming, sound development, visualization, 3D projection and general production.

Two Bears explained that “the idea was to think about it as a modular space, as opposed to setting up a lab with a singular specific focus.”

“This lab will hopefully accommodate all kinds of different research projects, from development to production, even presentation of media and materials in some capacity.”

Federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne said Canadian researchers have “always thought big.”

“Now, more than ever, they need state-of-the-art labs and equipment to turn their visions into reality. Investing in our university research infrastructure is key to our continuing role as an innovation leader in wide-ranging fields, from Indigenous research to quantum computing, from neurobiology to advanced robotics.”

He added that the investments will not only support “ground-breaking contributions” to the science and research fields, but will also “improve our economy, environment and quality of life.”

The Onkwehonwe Research Environment is also being supported by the Alberta Research Capacity Program, Canada Council for the Arts and uLethbridge.

by Justin Goulet

U of L project receives boost from Canada Foundation for Innovation

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