A $29 million gift from Quebec-born entrepreneur Sylvan Adams will go towards McGill’s Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education in the Faculty of Education with the long-term goal of improving human performance and promoting healthier living.
The donation will support the creation of the Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute (SASSI) comprising state-of-the-art testing labs, training suites, research offices and meeting rooms in a new facility neighboring the Montreal Neurological Institute and adjacent to the Sir Arthur Currie Memorial Gymnasium. Approximately $24.4 million will be used to build the facility and purchase equipment, while $4.6 million will be allocated to the development of the Institute’s sports-science research program through the creation of research grants, scientific conferences, student fellowships and international exchanges.
The gift represents the largest donation ever to a Faculty of Education in Canada.
The new institute will focus on studying elite athletes, using evidence-based approaches and best practices, and scientific innovations.
SASSI researchers will partner with those at other leading institutions, notably the Sylvan Adams Sports Institute (SASI) at Tel Aviv University, established in 2017. Together, McGill and TAU sports scientists will focus on human performance during intense training, leveraging both their respective and complementary research strengths in physiology, biomechanics, motor control, psychology, nutrition and molecular biology.
“Collaboration will be one of the key pillars for the success of this institute,” said Dilson Rassier, dean of McGill’s Faculty of Education. “This gift will be the catalyst that will enable McGill, Tel Aviv University and other collaborating universities from around the world to share information and ideas integral to research on sports science and advancing human performance.”
