Padraic Foley

Director, Strategy and Partnerships @Acceleration Consortium

By leveraging the power of AI, robotics, engineering and chemistry, the Acceleration Consortium (AC) will make the University of Toronto a global centre for materials science innovation. Using materials acceleration platforms (MAPs), also known as self-driving laboratories, the AC will rapidly design and discover the materials needed to build a more sustainable, prosperous and healthy future. The Acceleration Consortium will lead a revolutionary shift in scientific discovery that will accelerate technology development and commercialization. New advanced materials with superior performance characteristics are required for renewable and clean energy storage, sustainable polymers and packaging for consumer products, biomedical applications, drugs and therapeutics, lighter and stronger building materials, quantum computing, communication technology, eco-friendly transportation, and a host of other applications. The Acceleration Consortium through an open innovation model, has 3 interconnected objectives: 1) Transform materials discovery: Drive the design of MAPs to accelerate the discovery of new materials and make fundamental breakthroughs in AI, robotics, computational and materials science; 2) Build an ecosystem: Establish a global network of academic institutions, tech companies, and entrepreneurs dedicated to materials innovation; and 3) Train a highly skilled workforce: Create a global training program for the next generation of researchers.Together, these activities will help foster a robust and agile innovation ecosystem. This will allow AC members (global academic researchers, industry and government laboratories) to capitalize on shared knowledge, more easily commercialize technological breakthroughs to address real market needs and create a talent pipeline that drives industry, launches start-ups, and attracts venture capital.