Canadian Healthcare Technology Logo
  • Issues
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Events
  • Vendors
  • About Us

Philips

AGFA 1400x150

Petal Health

Petal Health 1400x150

Infrastructure

Ground broken on Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre

January 8, 2020


Heather Reisman 2020TORONTO – Philanthropists and business leaders Gerald Schwartz and Heather Reisman (pictured) joined University of Toronto President Meric Gertler, Chancellor Rose Patten, Vector Institute President and CEO Garth Gibson and other university and community leaders to break ground on the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre.

The centre will anchor U of T’s cluster of world-leading artificial intelligence scientists and biomedical experts, create an unprecedented concentration of research-based startups and advance U of T’s standing as a global innovation powerhouse

Designed by WEISS/MANFREDI, one of North America’s leading architectural firms, the iconic centre will create a new gateway for the university, steps from Queen’s Park and at the centre of Ontario’s innovation ecosystem.

The $100-million investment from Mr. Schwartz and Ms. Reisman, announced in March 2019, is the largest donation in U of T’s history and the largest gift ever to the Canadian innovation sector. In addition to the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre, the gift has also enabled U of T to create the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, which launched in June.

“U of T is home to leading thinkers in AI and biomedicine who are advancing innovation in these fields and addressing their role in society,” said Ms. Reisman and Mr. Schwartz in a statement. “Creating the centre and the institute will supercharge the university’s ability to recruit and inspire the best talent in the world in these and related fields.”

The striking, glass-clad, 750,000-square-foot complex will anchor U of T’s unique cluster of world-leading artificial intelligence scientists and biomedical experts, its world-class entrepreneurship network and the country’s largest concentration of student – and faculty-led start-ups.

The centre will be constructed in two phases over the next few years. The first phase will erect the 12-storey west tower, creating 250,000 square feet that will focus on AI and innovation, and provide a new home for the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and the Vector Institute, as well as other leaders of innovation.

The second phase will build the larger, 20-storey west tower, which will provide 500,000 square feet of space for life-saving biomedical innovation.

Once complete, the centre will feature vertical gardens, soaring atria and collaborative spaces that promote intellectual exchange and invite the public to take part in events and interact with scholars and innovators. The building’s engaging spaces will host thousands of researchers, investors, industry partners and international visitors each year.

“The Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre will be a magnificent architectural landmark and a new focal point for Canada’s leading innovation ecosystem,” said President Gertler. “It will gather in one place U of T’s world-leading artificial intelligence scientists and biomedical experts, and integrate them into our dynamic entrepreneurship network. Thanks to Gerry and Heather’s outstanding generosity and vision, this new centre will confirm to the world that Toronto and U of T are global leaders in AI and biomedical innovation.”

The university appointed Professor Gillian Hadfield as the inaugural director of the institute, as well as the inaugural Schwartz Reisman Chair in Technology and Society in July. Professor Hadfield is already engaging researchers in the institute’s work and drawing on her broad background – in economics and law, humanities, business and technology – to shape the institute’s direction for the next few years.

“The Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre will be a stunning new building in the heart of Toronto, housing the new institute alongside the city’s most dynamic innovators and researchers. I am excited to be a part of this new vanguard in effective, cross-disciplinary research and concrete solutions to some of our biggest challenges,” said Professor Hadfield.

PreviousNext

CHT print

CHT print

e-Messenger

  • Carney appoints new health minister, AI chief
  • NS delays start of provincial EHR system
  • New associate CEO of CIUSSS-West-Central Montreal
  • Medic Alert bracelets will connect to EHRs
  • Mount Sinai deploys system for partial knee replacement
More from e-Messenger

Subscribe

Subscribe

Weekly blasts are sent each month, via e-mail, to over 7,000 senior managers and executives in hospitals, clinics and health regions. Learn More

Infoway

Infoway

Zebra

Zebra

Zebra

Zebra

Advertise with us

Advertise with us

Sectra KLAS

Sectra KLAS

Stratford Group

Stratford Group

Pure Storage

Pure Storage

Medirex

Medirex

NIHI

NIHI

CHT print

CHT print

Advertise with us

Advertise with us

Sectra KLAS

Sectra KLAS

Stratford Group

Stratford Group

Pure Storage

Pure Storage

Medirex

Medirex

NIHI

NIHI

Contact Us

Canadian Healthcare Technology
1118 Centre Street, Suite 204
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L4J 7R9
Tel: 905-709-2330
Fax: 905-709-2258
info2@canhealth.com

  • Quick Links
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
    • Events
    • Vendors
    • About Us
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Resources
    • White Papers
    • Writers’ Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
  • Topics
    • Administrative Solutions
    • Clinical Solutions
    • Companies
    • Continuing Care
    • Diagnostics
    • Education & Training
  •  
    • Electronic Records
    • Government & Policy
    • Infrastructure
    • Innovation
    • People
    • Privacy and Security

© 2025 Canadian Healthcare Technology

The content of Canadian Healthcare Technology is subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. Send all requests for permission to Jerry Zeidenberg, Publisher.

Search Site

Error: Enter a search term

  • Issues
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Events
  • Vendors
  • About Us