Perimeter Institute began in the summer of 1999 when Mike Lazaridis, founder and Co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM), maker of the successful BlackBerry, found himself in a position to help foster research and innovation in Canada. Howard Burton, from the University of Waterloo, was hired by Mike in August of that same year and, as the Founding Executive Director, was instrumental in determining how a world-class organization devoted to theoretical physics would take shape.

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is an independent, resident-based research institute devoted to foundational issues in theoretical physics at the highest levels of international excellence. We strive to create a lively and dynamic research atmosphere where many approaches to fundamental questions, both orthodox and unorthodox, are pursued simultaneously and where a balance between formal and phenomenologically-oriented research is established. We are further determined to interact constructively with the surrounding academic community whenever possible, particularly with regards to the inclusion of graduate students, and are equally determined to create a world-class outreach program to disseminate the mysteries and wonder of the physical world to the general public throughout Canada and beyond.