Polytechnics Canada welcomes federal funds for new college applied research

OAKVILLE, ON, May 8, 2012 /CNW/ - Polytechnics Canada's welcomes today's $36 million announcement by Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear for 60 innovative partnerships with colleges and businesses across Canada. The chosen projects emerged from a peer-review selection process under the College Community Innovation Program, administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

Minister Goodyear delivered the announcement at the close of Polytechnics Canada's annual conference hosted by Sheridan College. The two-day conference theme was "Polytechnic Education Works: Talent and Innovation for Employers."

The project selections demonstrate that Canada's research-intensive colleges and polytechnics continue to display innovation leadership in applied research and commercialization. Several of the initiatives fall under four programs specifically championed by Polytechnics Canada—Industrial Research Chairs for Colleges, Technology Access Centre grants, College-University Idea to Innovation grants, and Innovation Enhancement grants.

"Polytechnics Canada is energized by seeing its advocacy for applied research come to fruition through these new competitive programs within the College Community Innovation Program," said Nobina Robinson, CEO.  "Even more gratifying is the fact that so many of our members won these competitions."

Added Jeff Zabudsky, President of Sheridan College and Board Member of Polytechnics Canada, "These programs represent a double win—a win for our industry partners to access the innovation skills of our students and a win for our students who apply their learning to firm-level research and development along with commercialization challenges."

Polytechnics Canada is the voice of leading research-intensive, publicly funded colleges and institutes of technology. Located in Canada's key economic regions, the current Polytechnics Canada members are: British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), SAIT Polytechnic, NAIT, Conestoga, Sheridan, Humber, George Brown, Seneca and Algonquin.

Ken Doyle
Director of Policy
Polytechnics Canada
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