Mike Lazaridis Donates Additional $50 Million to Perimeter Institute
WATERLOO, June 4 /CNW-AsiaNet/ --
In a new and generous act of personal philanthropy, Mike Lazaridis has provided an additional
$50 million (Canadian) to Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI). This private donation
increases his personal contributions to $150 million in the research institute.
The private funding announcement, delivered by The Honourable John Wilkinson, Ontario
Minister of Research and Innovation, was celebrated by over 600 people just prior to a PI Public
Lecture. The donation was acknowledged by all dignitaries representing the Province of Ontario
and the Government of Canada, important members of a public-private partnership that fund the
scientific research and outreach operations.
In his remarks on behalf of the Government of Ontario, The Honourable John Wilkinson,
Minister of Research and Innovation said: "Ontario's $3B Innovation Agenda focuses on our
government acting as a catalyst to support our top researchers and entrepreneurs - extraordinary
people like Mike Lazaridis who are leading the way to turn groundbreaking ideas and innovation
into Ontario's next generation of jobs. Ontario's commitment to fundamental and applied
research has not only been informed but also inspired by Mike's personal commitment to
innovation, and his contributions to the Perimeter Institute. That's why our government has
already invested over $65M to support this important initiative. This new investment will
strengthen the Institute and the government-industry partnerships that have made it possible,
and help us to continue to attract the world-class talent and the scientific knowledge Ontario
needs to compete in the 21st century."
On behalf of the Government of Canada, The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry,
provided these words, "Mr. Lazaridis is one of Canada's most significant science and technology
(S&T) leaders and is making an extraordinary contribution to further strengthen our country's
S&T capacity. The recent nomination of Mr. Neil Turok as the new Executive Director of the
Institute is one of many examples of this success. The Government of Canada is an important
partner in the development of the Perimeter Institute, having renewed public funding in March
2007 to further propel the scientific research and outreach activities at international levels. In
keeping with the government's S&T strategy, the Perimeter Institute continues to provide the
country with a competitive advantage in the area of basic research, pushes the frontiers of
knowledge, attracts highly qualified researchers, promotes the nation's world class excellence
abroad, and shares the joys of scientific research, discovery and technologies with Canadians
from coast to coast. The vision and role of Mike Lazaridis in the partnership have been central,
including his advocacy on behalf of basic research and education, his leadership at the Institute,
and overwhelming financial support that now totals $150 million in personal philanthropy." More
remarks can be found on Perimeter's website.
Mike Lazaridis, the founder and Chairman of the Board of Perimeter Institute, thanked all
national, provincial, regional and municipal partners for their commitment to scientific research
and their direct role in shaping the institute. He also acknowledged those in wider society who
engage in the outreach activities and said, "Perimeter Institute exists because of a shared
commitment by all of the partners. Partners who know that today's scientific research will seed
tomorrow's biggest innovations. The power of human understanding and new ideas has a long
and proven history in transforming society - such as Maxwell's unification of electricity and
magnetism, and Einstein's insights about the nature of space, time, and light. Today's scientists
are pushing our fundamental understanding even further. They are working on the most
challenging problems we have ever known and they are calculating new solutions that, over time,
will improve our society - intellectually, materially, and by stimulating future generations of
researchers to dig even deeper. These are exciting times in science and we have the good
fortune to propel new ideas right here in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an important mission I
feel passionate about and wish to support. Finally, all of us at Perimeter wish to thank you - the
students, teachers and members of the general public. Your enthusiasm for science provides
constant motivation to our researchers, outreach staff, and the partnership. Collectively, we all
share in the grand quest to research, discover, and innovate."
About Perimeter Institute:
Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is an independent, non-profit, scientific
research and educational outreach organization where international scientists cluster to push the
limits of our understanding of physical laws and develop new ideas about the very essence of
space, time, matter and information. The award-winning research centre provides a multi-
disciplinary environment to foster research in areas of Cosmology, Particle Physics, Quantum
Foundations, Quantum Gravity, Quantum Information, Superstring Theory, and related areas.
The Institute also provides a wide array of educational outreach activities for students, teachers
and members of the general public in order to share the joy of scientific research, discovery and
innovation. In partnership with the Governments of Canada and Ontario, Perimeter Institute
continues to be a successful example of private and public collaboration in science research and
SOURCE: Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
CONTACT: John Matlock,
Director of External Relations and
Outreach at jmatlock@perimeterinstitute.ca
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