McMaster opens Centre of Excellence to advance personal protective equipment in Canada

McMaster University is now home to an established network of engineers, clinicians, local manufacturers and companies dedicated to advancing personal protective equipment products in Canada.

The newly opened Centre of Excellence in Protective Equipment and Materials (CEPEM) aims to create an ecosystem of local expertise to build domestic supply chains for PPE and innovate existing products, including face masks and shields.

“We established the Centre to be a hub of companies interested in this area, enable a research and development program and translate those findings into products that Canadian industry would put out into the world," says Ravi Selvaganapathy, CEPEM’s director and a professor of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering.

The team will focus on six areas of activity: designing and developing PPE, advanced manufacturing, research in functional materials, testing and validation, creating Canadian standards for PPE, and making PPE more sustainable for the environment.