More grant money has been directed to Cambrian College's Centre for Smart Mining (CSM), which received more than a million dollars from the FedNor economic development agency Sept. 5.
Friday's announcement was the latest of a series of funding announcements that have been provided to Cambrian in recent months. In May 2025 the Ontario government provided $263,000 for a critical minerals processing facility at the college.
In November 2024 the RBC Foundation donated $500,000 to help fund the new Vale Electric Vehicle Lab at the college. The foundation gave $500,000 to the EV Lab, which officially opened in the Glencore Centre for Innovation, home of Cambrian R&D, the college’s applied research division.
In August 2024, the feds pledged $378,000 to help hire people to work on research and development (R&D) into mining battery-electric-vehicles.
Sudbury MPP Viviane Lapointe made the announcement Friday morning on behalf of FedNor minister Patty Hajdu, who is also the federal minister for jobs and families.
"And I'm very proud to announce a FedNor investment of more than $1 million for Cambrian College's Centre for Smart Mining," said Lapointe.
She said the investment would support Cambrian in expanding research and training services to meet the growing demands for technology in the mining sector.
"Over the next three years Cambrian will work with up to 145 small and medium-sized mining technology companies, offering them access to state-of-the-art equipment, expert technical support and customized training to future-proof their workforce.
"The Centre will also broaden its research into EV powertrain testing and critical mineral extraction technologies to support Canada’s clean economy goals," said the FedNor news release.
Lapointe said the funding was essential to maintaining Sudbury's role as a leader in mining expertise.
“In Greater Sudbury, mining isn’t just an industry — it’s part of who we are. By investing in Cambrian College’s Centre for Smart Mining, we’re helping to ensure that our community remains at the forefront of innovation, sustainability, and opportunity. This funding will support local businesses, create good jobs, and give students the tools they need to succeed — right here at home.”
Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre said he too was pleased with the funding that he said will keep the city's mining R&D in the forefront. He said people from around the world actively seek out people in Sudbury’s mining community to stay informed.
"When we go to PDAC (Prospectors and Developer Association of Canada) and we're all there together, the world comes to us and asks, what's going on in Sudbury?"
Lefebvre said in the past year, five international ambassadors have visited Sudbury. He said funding from higher levels of government is essential to keeping the momentum going.
"So this investment will give more local companies access to advanced equipment, specialized expertise and customized trading in areas of automation, artificial intelligence and electric vehicle development," said the mayor.
College president Kristine Morrissey said the new funding would ultimately benefit the students at Cambrian.
"This funding will grow our capacity to work with industry partners, partners that we're going to be working with in the Sudbury northern region, in areas of applied research and innovation," said Morrissey.
"It will grow the number of projects that we can undertake and enhance the services that we can provide to those partners. And it goes without saying that more opportunities that we have in applied research with our industry and community partners translate into more opportunities for students."
She said providing experience for the students is a key focus of learning at Cambrian.
"I always make a point of saying this at every research announcement: we don't do applied research at Cambrian without the involvement of students, because that's our line. It really is to give our students that unmatched learning experience, to set them up with industry, community networks and partnerships and experiences."
Also speaking Friday was Natalie Rivet, Sandvik Mining's training and competence development manager. She said she could see how Cambrian "is creating real value" for the students by involving them in real-life situations.
"A recent example is our collaboration with Cambrian students to design a lifting solution for battery electric vehicles. This wasn't a classroom exercise. It was a real operational challenge. The students engineered, built and refined a practical tool that improves safety and efficiency in the field. That project grew into a global exchange," said Rivet.
She said it was a valuable two-way experience for the students and the company.
Mechanical engineering student Eric Clement said working in applied research was a huge benefit for him as he was able to translate his classroom work into real life solutions in industry.
"I've worked on projects in many fields, from designs relating to mining vehicles as well as metallurgical process design, and even design for medical training devices," Clement told the audience.
"It feels like every day I have something new to learn and master," he said, adding that the recent project with Sandvik Mining allowed students to work with new equipment, new computer applications and to test and validate their work in the field.
"These sorts of things are only possible through generous funding from our community and global presence. I know this funding can power innovation at Cambridge College and the Centre for Smart Mining," said Clement.
Len Gillis covers mining and health care for Sudbury.com.
