"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."
Charles Darwin, naturalist

Memorial's activities have always been shaped by our surroundings. Our intellectual endeavours have been strongly influenced by the challenges of living on the rim of the Atlantic Ocean, almost midway between the North American heartlands and Western Europe. We excel in many areas, and are particularly strong in teaching and research related to our marine environment: biology, fisheries, ocean engineering, literature, music, anthropology, archaeology and history. Our expertise in the area of sustainable coastal development, the health sciences and, more recently, oil and gas development is renowned.

Our vision is focused on the constantly changing horizon and we respond to new opportunities with innovation and action.

In June of 2002, Inco Ltd., the world's largest nickel mining company, announced that it would develop Labrador's Voisey's Bay nickel deposit, one of the largest nickel deposits in the world. As part of the development, the company is partnering with Memorial to create the Inco Innovation Centre on our St. John's campus. Inco's $20 million commitment, one of the largest corporate commitments of its kind in Canada, will enable us to convert the former Thomson Centre and operate it as a centre of excellence in innovation.

The new centre will extend our existing strengths in earth science and engineering and will also provide excellent support for innovaion and technology transfer.