Canada's brightest minds collaborate on bold ideas for a better future

Government of Canada invests more than $78 million to create jobs and training for Canada's scientists and engineers

OAKVILLE, ON, Aug. 10, 2018 /CNW/ - With bright people and collaboration, bold ideas can be realized. When researchers, companies and other partners work together, they create jobs, support hands-on training and develop technologies and services to benefit all Canadians.

Today, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, announced funding of more than $78 million to recipients of the Strategic Partnership Grants (SPG) for Networks and Projects, supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Funding will go to six networks and 80 projects from across the country.

This investment will bring together and support some of Canada's brightest researchers to address challenges in areas including environment and agriculture, information and communications technologies, natural resources and energy, and advanced manufacturing.

Minister Duncan made the announcement during a visit to Promation, an industrial partner with the University of Waterloo, and member of the Network for Holistic Innovation in Additive Manufacturing, one of the six networks that received funding today. This network brings together leading researchers in Canada and abroad, government, and aerospace and automotive industry players to accelerate the use of 3D printing in Canada's manufacturing sector.

With the global market for 3D printing expected to grow fivefold by 2020, this is an important investment in Canada's innovation economy which will boost our competitiveness, and prepare our workers for the jobs of tomorrow. 

Quotes
"I commend today's recipients for the important work they are doing to contribute to Canada's competitiveness. We are investing in you today because we know that when we invest in science and research we are investing in Canadians. The bold ideas your innovative partnerships will generate will have an important impact on our economy, creating good jobs and unique training opportunities for scientists and engineers here in Oakville and across the country."
– The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport

"Congratulations to all recipients and their partners. NSERC is proud of its role in convening Canada's top scientists and engineers with a wealth of partners from industry, government and other organizations. These fruitful collaborations are a testament to the power of great minds and expertise coming together to tackle challenges in targeted areas where Canada can be a world leader."
– Dr. Marc Fortin, Vice-President, Research Partnerships, NSERC

"This investment will enable the team led by the University of Waterloo to increase our collaborations and partnerships with industry in Canada and abroad to help ensure that our country plays a major role in integrating the transformative impacts of Additive Manufacturing globally, thereby securing Canada's leadership in the realization of Industry 4.0."
– Dr. Ehsan Toyserkani, Professor of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo

"Innovation and R&D has always been the basis of Promation's historical growth and will certainly drive our future. Federal programs like the Strategic Partnership Grants will help Canadian industry to leapfrog into the future with support for Advanced Manufacturing technologies and the highly skilled people required to develop and use them effectively."
– Mark Zimny, Chief Executive Officer, Promation

Quick facts

• The total funding for the six networks is $33 million and the total funding for the 80 projects is just over $45 million.
• NSERC conducts extensive evaluations to ensure that these projects remain relevant for Canada. An extensive network of peer reviewers meets annually to select the winners for each competition.

Associated Links

• Full list of SPG-Network Recipients
• Full list of SPG-Project Recipients
• Strategic Partnership Grants Program Overview
• Where NSERC Invests and Why
• A Vision of NSERC in 2020

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.

SOURCE Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Ann Marie Paquet, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Science, Tel.: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Tel.: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Nyree St-Denis, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Tel.: [phone], Email: [email protected]