The Acceleration Consortium is building the talent pipeline for the next generation of R&D talent in Canada
Supported by an NSERC Collaborative Research and Training Experience program grant, the Acceleration Consortium is training highly qualified personnel in AI and automation
Training the next generation of the workforce with the skills they need in AI, automation and ethics to advance the emerging field of accelerated discovery is a core pillar of the Acceleration Consortium (AC). As a recipient of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program grant, the AC will use the $1.65 million in funding over the next six years todevelop and execute programming for today’s university students and postdoctoral fellows to ensure that they will become the highly qualified personnel (HQP) of tomorrow.
HQP are defined as “individuals who possess advanced skills and knowledge, which are critical for innovation and economic growth.” They are needed to tackle the challenges researchers are facing in fields like accelerated discovery, such an addressing the need for better data to more advanced AI and automation. However, students graduating in chemistry and materials science today aren’t being trained with the skills this new era demands. Without these skills, the Canadian R&D landscape will be left behind and Canada’s innovation economy will fall behind leading global competitors. The AC’s new training program is closing that gap and equipping HQP with the tools to lead in accelerated discovery and drive future breakthroughs.
The CREATE for Accelerated Discovery (AccelD) is the first program to train university students from across Canada in fields dedicated to creating materials and molecules for a rapidly approaching future of accelerated discovery. The program emphasizes value-added training that complements disciplinary research and prepares participants for careers in academia, industry, and government. AccelD participants undertake training focused on self-driving lab (SDL) concepts and applications, values-based research frameworks, environmental and social sustainability, science communication and knowledge mobilization, innovation and commercialization, and inclusive leadership in accelerated and interdisciplinary research environments.
“This grant reflects a growing recognition that we need to rethink how we train the next generation of scientists and innovators,” said Christine Allen, professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at U of T and co-lead of the AccelD program. “Through initiatives like AccelD, the AC is building the skills needed to accelerate discovery and enable a new kind of workforce, one that can work alongside AI to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges. We are grateful to NSERC and our partners for supporting this vision.”
The three training objectives of the grant are:
- Accelerated discovery - linking scientific discovery with AI and automation: provide training activities that link scientific discovery with AI- and automation-enabled approached, helping trainees understand how accelerated methodologies can transform research across disciplines.
- Responsible discovery: equip HQP with the ability to conceptualize and implement ethical approaches to discovery, ensuring that materials R&D is sustainable.
- Leadership and mobilizing the benefits of accelerated discovery: provide participants with training in leadership and tools for effective science communication and knowledge mobilization (KM) so they can promote the uptake and manage integration of accelerated approaches into academic and industrial research operations.
Collaborators alongside the University of Toronto (U of T) and AC in this grant include McMaster University, the Institut Courtois (IC) at the Université de Montréal (UdeM), the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of New Brunswick (UNB).
“We are excited to provide an accelerated discovery training platform that provides hands-on and virtual training in AI, automation and accelerated discovery to the most talented students from across Canada,” said Carlos Silva, director of the Institut Courtois, Faculté des arts et des sciences, and professor in the Department of Physics at UdeM and co-lead of the AccelD program. “AccelD is connecting trainees with leaders in the field to give them the skills and tools they need to develop and use SDLs that leverage AI and automation to accelerate discovery.”
The first cohort of 12 AccelD trainees launched in November 2025. The trainees have already participated in leadership, diversity and lifecycle analysis training.
“Being part of this program has opened up so many opportunities, from professional development to meeting people I wouldn’t have connected with otherwise,” said Emma Lord, PhD student in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at U of T and AccelD trainee. “I’ve gained a much deeper understanding of accelerated discovery, along with real-world skills that I know will stay with me throughout my PhD and beyond. I’m really excited to keep building on what I’ve learned and continue growing as an interdisciplinary researcher and leader in the field.”
The next round of applications for the program opens Spring 2026.
