Université de Moncton shares its preliminary plans for a major research park

MONCTON - The Université de Moncton is quietly exploring the creation of a sprawling research and development campus that could draw in private sector firms to the province.

The university owns roughly 90 hectares of undeveloped land in Moncton's north end across from its main academic campus.

When asked by the Telegraph-Journal about the future of the property, its administration decided to open up about their preliminary plans for a major research park.

The Université de Moncton is modelling its proposed park after successful projects developed at the University of Waterloo, the University of British Columbia and the University of Saskatchewan.

The University of Waterloo's $215-million, 50-hectare research and technology park is home to over 30 start-up companies and high-tech organizations.

"All of the universities that own space around their campuses try to attract research and development to create synergies between their academic areas and the business and economic areas," said Nassir El-Jabi, vice-president of human resources and administration for the Université de Moncton.

"What we're trying to do is to develop the area north of Morton Avenue, to develop and extend what we call the scientific park, to extend it to a research and development campus."

El Jabi said New Brunswick's only francophone university wants to form partnerships and joint ventures with firms doing research in information technology, health sciences, environmental work and materials development.

All are areas the university already does research in.

The development of a research campus in Moncton could bolster the province's lacklustre R&D efforts.

Of the roughly $28 billion spent by Canada's federal and provincial governments, higher education institutions, private sector and non- profit organizations, New Brunswick accounts for a measly .9 per cent or $243 million.

Over the last decade, the province's portion of national research and development efforts side to .9 per cent from 1.1 per cent in the mid-1990s.

New Brunswick also lags behind the rest of the country when it comes to private sector research and development spending.

The university has hired Moncton-based consulting firm Bouchard & Associates, which is led by former economic development deputy minister and former NB Liquor president George Bouchard, to help create a plan for the research campus.

Bouchard said the university has been working on its plan for the last year and a half.

During that time they've been examining potential site layouts as well as what firms could be attracted and how other universities have established similar research campuses.

"It's a work in progress ... nothing definite is done at this stage," said Bouchard. "We have to put some conceptual designs together ... we are working with some designers and engineers on what is the best concept."

El Jabi said the research park concept is a long-term vision that could take 50-100 years to fully develop.

It makes sense for the university to pursue its research park idea given the increasing focus of both the federal and provincial governments on research and development, Bouchard said.

"They're saying loud and clear that they want to concentrate their efforts on more R&D," he said. "I don't think we can sit there and just see the train going by and not try to be part of it."