McGill receives major donation from Hydro-Québec

McGill University is pleased to announce that it has received a generous $10-million donation from Hydro-Québec that will be used to create three new industrial chairs in energy-related fields and student scholarships. The donation was announced at the launch of Campaign McGill, the most ambitious university fundraising initiative in Canadian history.

More than half the total amount of the gift, $5.5-million, will go to the establishment of three research chairs and research projects in sustainable development law and nanoengineering. The balance will help support student scholarships. Thanks to this donation from Hydro-Québec, McGill will award annual scholarships to outstanding students in the faculties of engineering, science and law. Students will be eligible to renew their scholarships once or twice, depending on their level of study.

McGill University conducts research that corresponds both to its institutional priorities and to some of Hydro-Québec's priority sectors. The three chairs to be created will involve measuring and forecasting precipitation in the short term, integrating wind energy and hydroelectricity in the transmission grid, and renewable energies and decentralized production.

"Hydro-Québec is proud to support the students of McGill University, which is renowned throughout the world. These students will help us to explore new research avenues and stay on the cutting edge in the fields of renewable energy and climate change," said Thierry Vandal, president and CEO of Hydro-Québec.

"The financial support for our institution that Hydro-Québec is announcing today reflects the importance it places on fostering and conducting research," said Professor Heather Munroe-Blum, McGill's principal and vice-chancellor. "By encouraging access to graduate studies through scholarships, Hydro-Québec ensures the emergence and proliferation of new ideas. It also guarantees continued innovation and upholds the tradition of excellence in Quebec."

This donation, which will be delivered in $1-million annual increments over a decade, is one of the many forms of financial aid Hydro-Québec has provided to McGill over the years.

On the Web: Campaign McGill