Spring opening planned for Centre for Research and Innovation

Corner Brook's Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) is nearing completion, with the hopes of officially opening the renovated building in the spring.

CRI will support research and development, business diversification and a stronger culture of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Renovations to the former Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd. Human Resources Building have been ongoing since funding was announced in 2020.

The centre will support local and regional economic growth through innovation, research and training, and will serve as the hub of the regional innovation system. There are three related components to the project: 1) development of an Innovation Centre in downtown Corner Brook; 2) research on the use of waste byproducts of the mill and new product development; and, 3) the development of training opportunities by CNA.

"The primary goal and hoped outcome for the Centre of Research and Innovation project is to provide the tools, resources and research that will promote the development of sustainable and resilient communities in the western region," said Dr. Mery Perez, who was CRI co-ordinator in 2021.

In July 2020, $8.9 million in funding was announced for the centre. Funding partners include the Government of Canada, the Provincial Government departments of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation, Advanced Education, Skills and Labour and Fisheries and Land Resources, the City of Corner Brook, as well as Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd. (CBPPL). These investments are making it possible for Grenfell Campus-Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic (CNA), to embark on this major renovation and research initiative.

"CRI hopes to be a space of idea sharing and creativity," said Dr. Perez. "It will be home to Navigate Entrepreneurship Centre, as well as its incubator and makerspace, which allows public access to workspaces and technologies such as 3D printers."