Prince George, B.C. – The University of Northern British Columbia received more than $1.9 million in funding from the Pacific Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan) to support the establishment of the Environmental Solutions Innovation Hub.

This funding will allow UNBC to procure the advanced analytical instruments and personnel needed to meet an ever-expanding demand from local and regional natural resource-based firms to perform chemical and physical analytical work.

The new hub will be housed in the Northern Analytical Laboratory Services (NALS) lab and will allow for the increased and expedited development and prototyping of new materials and technologies needed to solve pressing environmental concerns in northern B.C. in sectors such as water management, mining, forestry, and bioenergy.

“To be able to have highly qualified personnel stay here in the region is just immense and this funding is going to secure us for the next 10 to 15 years.  It will enable us to continue to meet our mandates of education, research, and community service,” said Dr. Hossein Kazemian, the head of NALS. “We are working on solutions to air, water and soil pollution that will offer benefits to our region and the world.”