SARNIA, January 22, 2026 – Lambton College has received more $1.77 million in funding through the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) and Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) for its Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) Laboratory to strengthen applied research infrastructure that supports innovation, industry collaboration, and workforce development across Ontario.
Lambton College’s BSL2 Laboratory, one of a few certified facilities of its kind, supports applied research involving microorganisms and biological materials relevant to biotechnology, environmental sustainability, and industrial innovation. This new investment will further equip and scale the facility, enabling more complex research projects and expanding opportunities for collaboration with industry, academic, and community partners.
Additionally, Lambton College was awarded $701,013 for the Canadian Material Circular Economy Syndicate (CMCES) from ORF. Together, these investments reinforce the College’s leadership in materials innovation, biotechnology, and environmental sustainability.
“This investment through the Ontario Research Fund and Canada Foundation for Innovation are a significant vote of confidence in Lambton College’s applied research expertise and our role in supporting Ontario’s innovation ecosystem,” said Rob Kardas, President and CEO of Lambton College. “By strengthening infrastructure in circular economy research and biotechnology, we are better positioned to support industry partners, prepare highly skilled talent, and deliver solutions that help protect Ontario’s economic resilience, environmental sustainability, and long-term competitiveness.”
The Ontario Research Fund supports the construction, renovation, and acquisition of state-of-the-art research infrastructure across priority sectors including agri-food, advanced manufacturing, information technology, life sciences, and environmental sustainability. Projects are selected through a competitive peer-review process. The Ministry’s full announcement and list of funded projects are available through the Ontario Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security news release.
The Canada Foundation for Innovation is a non-profit corporation that invests in research infrastructure at Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit institutions.
More information on Research & Innovation at Lambton College can be found on the Lambton College website.