Acceleration Consortium: Self-Driving Labs for Molecular and Materials Discovery

加速联盟：分子和材料发现的自动驾驶实验室

• 批准号: CFREF-2022-00042
• 负责人: Cowen, Leah
• 金额: $ 275.15万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Canada First Research Excellence Fund
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=761209
• 关键词: Acceleration; Consortium; Self; Driving; Labs

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.

从石器时代到青铜时代，再到推动信息时代的半导体，材料和分子在人类历史上扮演了决定性的角色。它们也是解决世界上许多最紧迫的重大挑战的核心，如气候变化、塑料污染和癌症。多伦多大学（UofT）的加速联盟（AC）于2021年启动，正在利用其在人工智能（AI）和自动化方面的优势，实现按需材料时代。想象一下，我们可以快速开发出最需要的高性价比高性能材料，例如有效捕获和利用大气二氧化碳的催化剂，低碳水泥，轻质可生物降解复合材料，水过滤膜以及用于癌症治疗和未来流行病的有效分子。 AC是一个全球社区，通过开发自动驾驶实验室（SDL）来彻底改变材料发现。虽然传统材料创新速度缓慢且昂贵，但SDLs结合了联合收割机、人工智能、机器人技术和先进的计算技术，从根本上减少了将材料推向市场的时间和成本，从大约20年和大约1亿美元减少到1年和100万美元。这些自主实验室预测、合成和测试材料的特定性能特征（例如，电导率），然后重复和完善这一过程，通过将这三个步骤集成到一个自动化系统中来“闭合循环”。 AC召集了来自UofT和合作机构不列颠哥伦比亚省大学（UBC）的顶级研究人员，以及国内和全球学术，工业和政府合作伙伴，以开发世界领先的加速发现中心。这个开放的创新生态系统将使用SDL作为平台技术，以促进跨学科合作，推动研究和商业化，以满足真正的需求。 材料创新对于可持续、健康和有弹性的社会至关重要。AC将专注于三个研究支柱：i）可扩展SDL技术的开发; ii）用于恢复的分子和材料应用; iii）SDL革命的伦理，未来和经济，以促进SDL技术的工业采用，并确保所有加拿大人受益。 由加拿大和AC跨学科、行业和地区的知名专家领导的材料革命已经成熟。