Government of Canada Investments in College and Business Partnerships Create Jobs, Prosperity for Canadians

DARTMOUTH, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwired - April 17, 2014) - Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology), announced nearly $40 million in grants to colleges across Canada to support applied research and development (R&D) activities with industry. The 18 multi-year projects will focus on building local innovation capacity in key areas such as forestry, manufacturing, green buildings and wastewater treatment. In addition, colleges received support to purchase specialized research equipment.

The Minister made the announcement at Nova Scotia Community College's Waterfront Campus. The college is receiving $2.3 million to strengthen its work with companies to support the management of renewable energy in Atlantic Canada.

The college is working with industry and partners to build a research microgrid -- a small-scale power grid that can be operated independently or in conjunction with the area's main electrical grid. Researchers will use the microgrid to develop 'smart' systems that enable greater use of clean energy technologies such as solar, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems, and also evaluate the impacts of these technologies on the electricity grid.

The funding announced today was awarded through the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program and the College-Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF).

Quick Facts

• The CCI Program is managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

• The Canada Foundation for Innovation's CIIF seeks to enhance the capacity of colleges to support business innovation in Canada by providing them with state-of-the-art, industry-relevant research infrastructure to foster partnerships with the private sector in specific areas of strategic priority to each institution.

• Since its launch in 2009, the CCI program has supported 90 colleges across Canada, through over 732 projects and $246.7 million.

• Since the creation of the CIIF in 2012, over $22 million in industry-relevant infrastructure support has been awarded to enhance the capacity of colleges to support business innovation in Canada and to foster partnerships with the private sector.

Quotes

"Moving ideas efficiently from the laboratory to the marketplace is key to driving Canadian innovation forward. Our government is strengthening partnerships between colleges and local businesses to improve business and college innovation while creating jobs and prosperity for Canadians."

Ed Holder

Minister of State (Science and Technology)

"These investments help businesses tap into the talented people at Canada's colleges, to stay at the forefront of innovation. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the ability of colleges to help businesses innovate, stimulating our economy and training the next generation of scientists and engineers."

Janet Walden

Chief Operating Officer, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

"Partnerships between private sector and colleges have been instrumental in the transformation of the business innovation ecosystem in Canada. The CFI's College-Industry Innovation Fund provides the state-of-the-art research infrastructure needed to conduct top-notch research at colleges that has immediate, real-world applications for industry."

Dr. Gilles Patry

President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation

"Ongoing federal investments in applied research at colleges and institutes in Canada are improving productivity and increasing innovation of industry and communities. These valuable applied research partnerships provide students with advanced skills for employment, while helping employers and community organizations overcome barriers to success."

Denise Amyot

President and CEO of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges and Chair of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics

Related Products

Results of the Spring 2014 CCI Competition

Associated Links

Information about grants for colleges and the CCI Program.

About the College-Industry Innovation Fund

NSERC is a federal agency that helps make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for all Canadians. The agency supports almost 30,000 post-secondary students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding approximately 12,000 professors every year and fosters innovation by encouraging over 2,400 Canadian companies to participate and invest in post-secondary research projects.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation gives researchers the tools they need to think big and innovate. By investing in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in Canada's universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions, the CFI is helping to attract and retain the world's top talent, to train the next generation of researchers, to support private-sector innovation and to create high-quality jobs that strengthen the economy and improve the quality of life for all Canadians. For more information, visit Innovation.ca.