Media Invitation - Minister Brad Duguid to open applied research and innovation symposium on May 24

TORONTO, May 23, 2012 /CNW/ - The Honourable Brad Duguid, Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Innovation, will be opening the seventh annual Applied Research and Innovation Symposium on Thursday, May 24 at the Toronto Delta East Hotel in Scarborough.

The symposium, hosted by Centennial College's Applied Research and Innovation Centre, examines ways Ontario's entrepreneurial sector can bring new ideas and products to market quicker with the assistance of public colleges. This year's symposium theme is Demystifying Research: Creating Pathways to Success. 

The conference brings together many Ontario-funded ventures working with the Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation (CONII), as well as other partners. It is a showcase of college-industry innovation projects, highlighting the roles government, colleges and industry are playing to realize jobs and productivity gains.

In addition to Minister Duguid, the morning session will include a keynote address from Peter MacLeod, co-founder and principal of MASS LBP. Since 2007, MASS has led some of Canada's most original and ambitious social innovation efforts to engage citizens in tackling tough policy options while pioneering the use of civic lotteries and Citizen Reference Panels on behalf of a wide array of clients.

There is growing recognition by both federal and provincial governments in recent years that applied research led by the nation's colleges can address the innovation gaps Canada has historically faced. One start-up firm helped along the innovation path is Clear Blue Technologies Inc., which partnered with Centennial College to have its off-grid streetlighting system tested in a real-world environment.

"Without Centennial College's physical and intellectual resources, the high capital costs for early-stage prototyping and testing would have been prohibitive," says John Tuerk, co-founder and president, Clear Blue Technologies Inc. "Through market analysis, engineering modeling, product validation and hiring referrals, Centennial has helped accelerate our product to market by bridging the gap from innovation to shipping real product solutions."

The symposium will offer rapid-fire round table discussions on college-industry innovation success stories, and workshops on conducting applied research. The formal presentations begin at 9:00 am with the Minister's opening remarks, and will conclude with a networking session at 4:30 pm.

Mark Toljagic, 416-289-5000 ext. 7142, [email protected]