The centre, set to open at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT), will be the hub of the broader Automotive Innovation Network linking automotive engineers, auto suppliers and Canadian universities. When completed, the centre will house state-of-the-art research and development tools in the areas of vehicle dynamics, noise and vibration, thermal climatic wind tunnel, structural durability testing and the ability to accommodate future automotive fuels like hydrogen.

"Our vision has been to create a new advanced automotive technology cluster centered at UOIT that links together our best Canadian companies, universities, students and engineers with companies in the Canadian automotive supply chain," says Arturo Elias, president of General Motors of Canada.

The new centre will partner with PACE, (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education) a consortium of companies with five partners (GM, EDS, HP, Siemens PLM Software and Sun Microsystems) and 10 other PACE contributors. PACE will provide an initial investment of more than $60 million in state-of-the-art computer-based hardware, engineering software, student and instructor training and academic support. That level of support is expected to grow over time as it is integrated into new curricula. The Ontario government is investing $58 million in the centre as part of its $235 million auto strategy investment.

GM and the Government of Canada also announced further support in the form of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) grant to co-fund an NSERC-GM of Canada Chair in Innovative Design Engineering. NSERC and GM of Canada will contribute $1 million each over a five-year period, in combination with UOIT's contribution of $250,000, to fund this new academic position.