User fee increase
Dear QNFCF lab member community,
This message is a notice that the Quantum-Nano Fabrication and Characterization Facility will be increasing some of the fees in the lab effective May 1st 2026.
Since its inception in 2009, the Quantum-Nano Fabrication and Characterization Facility has benefited from grant based and other financial support which has defrayed significant operational costs. This funding has effectively subsidized access to the lab and enabled us to maintain fees that are low relative to the cost of operations.
In the coming fiscal year, we are anticipating a significant loss of financial support for the QNFCF, as the Canada First Research Excellence Fund – Transformative Quantum Technologies support tapers off. This program provided approximately $800K in support to the QNFCF last year (Fiscal Year 2025). In response to this loss of financial support, the QNFCF will be making the following changes to the user fee structure effective May 1st 2026:
- User fees on all equipment will be raised by 8%.
- Charges for academic training activities will go from $25/hr to $35/hr.
- Charges for industrial training activities will go from $75/hr to $105/hr.
- Charges for academic staff service work will go from $50/hr to $70/hr.
- Charges for industrial staff service work will go from $150/hr to $210/hr.
It is important to note that the QNFCF’s equipment user fees have not been increased since 2014 and that training and staff service charges have never been increased. These fee increases, in conjunction with several cost saving initiatives undertaken by the QNFCF in the past few years are expected to address most of the anticipated budgetary shortfall.
In closing, I would like to assure you all that this decision has not been taken lightly. The QNFCF aspires to be an accessible resource to the University of Waterloo community, delivering a professional level of operations on technically sophisticated fabrication and characterization equipment. We understand that user fee increases limit our accessibility, and we have gone to great lengths to minimize the magnitude of the increase announced today.
Please contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards,
-Nathan