The Government of Canada announced $37.4 million in funding for 37 projects at colleges, institutes, and CÉGEPs across Canada.
The funding will support college and institutes’ applied research and development collaborations with industry leaders, as well as the commercialization of new technologies.
The projects are funded through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program, which supports applied research and development of new and innovative technologies across Canada.
“Our government supports investments that are helping to build an innovative economy, and will create quality jobs to support a vibrant middle class,” said Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan. “Fostering strong partnerships between Canada’s colleges and industry partners leads to new, innovative ideas and transforms the results of R&D into new products that will benefit all Canadians.”
Among the colleges and institutes receiving funding are Sheridan College, which received $2.3 million for its Centre for Mobile Innovation, a centre for developing and refining mobile technologies; George Brown College, which received $1.75 million for its Food Innovation and Research Studio, which specializes in getting new food products into market; and Northern Alberta College, which received $1.7 million for its NAIT Center for Sensors and System Integration.
“NSERC is proud to support applied research and technological innovation at Canada’s colleges and CÉGEPs,” said Bettina Hamelin, the vice-president of research partnerships at NSERC. “The CCI program is uniquely positioned to connect colleges with industry partners, allowing companies to access state-of-the-art facilities and applied research expertise that help accelerate product development and validation, and train the next generation of talent for the 21st century job market.”
The announcement was made at the Colleges and Institutes Canada Annual Conference, where representatives from colleges and universities across Canada gathered to celebrate their contributions to changes in communities.
The full list of recipients can be found here.