Grant: Canada First Research Excellence Fund

Materials and molecules have played a defining role in human history, from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age to the semiconductors that propelled the Information Age. They are also central to solving many of the world’s most pressing grand challenges such as climate change, plastics pollution, and cancer. Launched in 2021, the Acceleration Consortium (AC) at the University of Toronto (UofT) is leveraging its strength in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to realize the Age of Materials on Demand. Imagine a world where we can rapidly develop the cost-effective, high-performance materials that are needed the most, such as catalysts for effective atmospheric CO2 capture and utilization, low-carbon cement, lightweight biodegradable composites, membranes for water filtration, and potent molecules for cancer treatment and future pandemics. The AC is a global community revolutionizing materials discovery through the development of self-driving laboratories (SDLs). While traditional materials innovation is prohibitively slow and expensive, SDLs combine AI, robotics, and advanced computing to radically reduce the time and cost of bringing materials to market, from ~20 years and ~$100 million to as little as 1 year and $1 million. These autonomous labs predict, synthesize, and test materials for specific performance characteristics (e.g., conductivity) and then repeat and refine this process, “closing the loop” on the discovery by integrating these three steps into one automated system. The AC convenes top researchers from UofT and partner institution University of British Columbia (UBC), with domestic and global academic, industry, and government partners, to develop the world’s leading accelerated discovery centre. This open innovation ecosystem will use SDLs as a platform technology to facilitate transdisciplinary collaboration, driving research and commercialization that addresses genuine needs. Materials innovation is critical for a sustainable, healthy, and resilient society. The AC will focus on three research pillars: i) Development of scalable SDL technologies; ii) Molecular and materials applications for resilience; and iii) Ethics, futures, and the economy of the SDL revolution, to promote industrial adoption of SDL technologies and ensure that all Canadians benefit. The world is ripe for a materials revolution—led by Canada and the AC’s renowned experts across disciplines, sectors, and geographies.