WATERLOO, Ontario, Canada, March 29, 2011 - The Honourable Dwight Duncan, Ontario's Minister of Finance, released the 2011 Provincial Budget at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto today. In doing so, the Government of Ontario provided renewed funding to accelerate Perimeter's scientific research, training and educational outreach activities.

The 2011 Provincial Budget states:

...the Budget will provide an additional $50 million over 10 years to the Perimeter Institute, which has quickly helped establish Ontario as a leading global centre of theoretical physics, attracting Professor Stephen Hawking as a Distinguished Research Chair.

The full budget document recognizes the key role research and innovation plays in Ontario's evolution toward a knowledge-based economy for the 21st century.

"On behalf of Perimeter Institute, I would like to express our profound appreciation to the Province of Ontario for their renewed support," said PI Director Neil Turok. "This ongoing public-private partnership continues to enable PI's growth into a key strategic asset for Ontario and for Canada. We are determined to deliver basic research of the highest quality and potential payoff, as well as educational outreach which inspires the next generation of young scientists. PI is building a community of outstanding scientific talent here in Ontario, to drive breakthroughs in our understanding of the universe which will seed the technologies of tomorrow."