Alberta-Ontario Innovation Program announces 20 cross-provincial projects
TORONTO, May 7, 2018 /CNW/ - Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) today announced 20 new projects valued at more than $36 million. The funding is the result of the Alberta-Ontario Innovation Program (AOIP), a cross-provincial collaboration between Ontario and Alberta. Projects are funded by OCE with additional funding on select projects by Alberta Innovates (AI), Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
The total project value is $36.6 million includes:
- Ontario funding of $3.51 million through OCE and $3.4 million from industry partners
- Alberta funding of $2.23 million through AI, $8.74 million through ERA and industry partner funding of $15.3 million
- National funding of $3.32 million through NSERC.
The Alberta-Ontario Innovation Program (AOIP) brings together industry and academia in cross-provincial, strategic collaborations to solve key industry challenges in both Ontario and Alberta through research and development. The program's goal is to create economic benefits for both provinces through job retention and creation, enhanced productivity and competitiveness, knowledge transfer and industry revenue growth. Participating companies may use research results to their own advantage or for the benefit of their supply chains.
"Partnerships like the Alberta-Ontario Innovation Program bring together key contributors to Canada's innovation ecosystem, encouraging our countries best and brightest to collaborate on R&D projects," said Reza Moridi, Ontario Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. "Our government values this work, and I am excited to see these projects build a prosperous future for all of us, both here in Ontario, and across the country."
"Innovation and collaboration are the key for building a productive, diversified and sustainable Canadian economy that can compete globally," said Deron Bilous, Minister of Alberta Economic Development and Trade. "The Alberta-Ontario Innovation Program provides effective ways for innovators in both provinces to access knowledge, resources and connections to bring solutions forward in critical areas like the environment, health, energy and industrial competitiveness. Working together, across governments and industry, proves the power of partnership and the role of strong provincial economies for a stronger Canada."
The AOIP funded projects also focused on strengthening global competitiveness in areas such as conservation of water and energy, environmental remediation, modular manufacturing and assembly, converting waste into energy, and agriculture.
"Collaboration is at the heart of the innovation ecosystem and government-funded initiatives like the Alberta-Ontario Innovation Program recognize that through partnerships in our research and development community, we can see tremendous results for challenges facing the environment, manufacturing, jobs and the economy," said Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO, OCE.
"Alberta Innovates appreciates that a united partnership delivers greater positive impact than any one party could alone. The Alberta-Ontario Innovation Program is transformative for the participants involved as well as for our provinces, Canada and beyond," says Laura Kilcrease, Alberta Innovates CEO.
"ERA and OCE are trusted partners. This relationship allows us to better identify and accelerate bold solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a more sustainable economy," said ERA CEO Steve MacDonald. "By collaborating, we strengthen our individual capacity to turn ideas into products and products into companies."
"NSERC supports strong academic-industry collaborations, ensuring businesses are the first to know by making connections with world-class researchers resulting in first-to-market opportunities, said Dr. Marc Fortin, Vice-President, Research Partnerships, NSERC. "We are proud to partner on the Alberta-Ontario Innovation Program, providing companies with fast and local access to targeted brain trust, equipment and talent recruitment that will help drive innovation and deliver tangible benefits to Canadians."
Drawing on academic expertise to address challenges faced by industry, the projects and partners include:
- Advanced Materials Development for Safer Energy Pipelines
Partners: University of Western Ontario; Nova Research & Technology Corporation, Alberta Innovates
- Real-time optimization for performance and efficiency in manufacturing systems Partners: Johnson Controls Canada LP, Praxair Canada Inc, Queen's University, Alberta Innovates
- Breeding strategies for improving feed efficiency and reducing methane emissions in dairy cattle
Partners: Alberta Milk, University of Guelph, Canadian Dairy Network; University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Hyper Desalination of Brine Water
Partners: Shell Canada Ltd., Lambton College of Applied Arts and Technology, KmX Corporation, Alberta Innovates
- New flexible pipe connections for high pressure systems
Partners: University of Toronto, Shawcor Ltd, University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Multi-Site Cement Industry Low Carbon Fuel Implementation and Supply Chain Optimization
Partners: Queen's University, Lafarge Canada Inc., University of Calgary, Alberta Innovates, Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA)
- Cloud-based Integrated Building Information Modelling
Partners: University of Waterloo, Cadsoft Corporation, University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Compressed Air Energy Storage in Salt Caverns in Ontario and Alberta
Partners: University of Waterloo, NRStor Incorporated, Hydro One Networks Inc., Ontario Power Generation Inc, Union Gas Limited, Rocky Mountain Power, Compass Minerals, University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Dispersion of Cellulose Nanocrystals in Aqueous Media
Partners: University of Waterloo, FP Innovations, University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Development of Radio-Frequency-Quiet Computing Infrastructure
Partners: University of Toronto, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), CoolIT Technology, University of Calgary, Alberta Innovates
- Using Advanced Nano-Delivery of Micronutrients to Enhance Animal Health
Partners: Wilfred Laurier University, Mirexus Biotechnologies Inc., Alberta Veterinary Laboratories Inc., University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Advancing Water Main Renovation and design
Partners: University of Waterloo, Insituform Technologies Limited, University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Value Chain Genomics Toward Profitability and Satisfied Consumers
Partners: University of Guelph, Beef Improvement Opportunities, Delta Genomics, VG Meats, University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Research and Development in the Expansion of the m-CARDS Platform to allow for the Deployment of a Mobile Cardiac Diagnostic Centre in Alberta
Partners: Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology, m-Health Solutions, m-Health Solutions (Alberta), Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Alberta Innovates
- Redefining Trace Mineral Nutrition in Dairy Cattle
Partners: University of Guelph, Alltech Canada Inc., University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Reinforcement Potential of Nanomaterials Derived from Wood Fibre
Partners: McMaster University, FPInnovations, University of Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Oil Sands Reclamation
Partners: Trent University, Suncor Energy Inc., Carbonix Inc., Alberta Innovates
- Optimization of High Resolution Computational Fluid Dynamics for the Investigation of Atmospheric Boundary Layer at Large Scales
Partners: University of Guelph, Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin Inc. (RWDI), University of Alberta, Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA)
- The Waste to Energy Project
Partners: University of Waterloo, Lockheed Martin Canada Inc., InnoTech Alberta, Alberta Innovates
- Satellite-Aircraft Hybrid Detection and Quantification of Methane Emissions
Partners: University of Toronto, Sinclair Interplanetary, GHGSat Inc., Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA)
For more information on the Alberta-Ontario Innovation Program, please visit the OCE website at www.oce-ontario.org.
About Alberta Innovates
Alberta Innovates is a provincially-funded Corporation with a mandate to deliver 21st century solutions for the most compelling challenges facing Albertans. We do this by building on our province's research and technology development strengths in the core sectors of health, environment, energy, food and fibre and platforms such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and omics. We are working with our partners to diversify Alberta's economy, improve our environmental performance and enhance our well-being through research and innovation.
About Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA)
ERA works with industry, government and the innovation community to invest in and advance the solutions Alberta needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a stronger, more diversified economy. ERA has committed more than $314 million in funding to over 120 projects with a total value of approximately $2 billion. The Province of Alberta provides grants to ERA from the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund to enable ERA to fulfill its mandate. In 2016, ERA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with OCE with the intent to accelerate technology development to benefit both provinces.
About NSERC
NSERC invests over $1.2 billion each year in natural sciences and engineering research in Canada. Our investments deliver discoveries—valuable world-firsts in knowledge claimed by a brain trust of over 11,000 professors. Our investments enable partnerships and collaborations that connect industry with discoveries and the people behind them. Researcher-industry partnerships established by NSERC help inform research and development and solve scale-up challenges.
NSERC also provides scholarships and hands-on training experience for more than 30,000 post-secondary students and post-doctoral fellows. These young researchers will be the next generation of science and engineering leaders in Canada.
About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc.
OCE drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research across key market sectors to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario's global competitiveness. In doing this, OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario's industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, investors and governments. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices and research, OCE invests in sectors such as advanced health, digital media and information communications, advanced manufacturing and materials, and cleantech including energy, environment and water. OCE is a key partner in delivering Ontario's Innovation Agenda as a member of the province's Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE). Funded by the Government of Ontario, the ONE is made up of regional and sector-focused organizations and helps Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their company and create jobs. For more information please visit www.oce-ontario.org
SOURCE Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc.
Media Contact (Alberta Innovates): Julia Necheff, Communications Specialist, t: 780.450.5047 [email protected]; Media Contact (ERA): Michelle Gurney, Communications, t: (403) 431-0759, [email protected]; Media Contact (NSERC) : Valérie Levert-Gagnon, Media and Public Affairs Officer, t: 613-996-2341, [email protected]; Media Contact (OCE): Andrew Robertson, Manager, Media Relations, t: 416.861.1092 x 1092, [email protected]
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