The Minister made the announcement in Hamilton, at Mohawk College's Additive Manufacturing Resource Centre (AMRC). The college is receiving $2.3 million to provide additive manufacturing capabilities to local companies to develop and enhance their products. Mohawk's unique approach uses metal alloys, rather than plastic, and fuses these together with high-powered lasers. Projects at AMRC will focus on creating aerospace and satellite parts, tools for early detection and treatment of breast cancer and new 3D-printed bicycle parts.
The funding announced today was awarded through the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program and the College Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF) Program.
Quick Facts
-- Today's announcement includes over $34 million through the CCI Program,
which is managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
Council, in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of
Canada.
-- Since its launch in 2009, the CCI program has supported 102 colleges
across Canada, through over 1124 projects and $293.3 million.
-- The Government of Canada is also investing nearly $7 million through the
Canada Foundation for Innovation's CIIF Program. The CIIF seeks to
enhance the capacity of colleges to support business innovation in
Canada by providing them with key industry-relevant equipment to foster
partnerships with the private sector.
-- 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.
-- Recently, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered on the government's
commitment to provide an updated science and technology strategy. The
strategy, Seizing Canada's Moment, is a vision and a roadmap for
strengthening Canada's position as a global leader in scientific
research while looking to harness greater Canadian research and
development that create jobs, increase prosperity and improve the
quality of life of Canadians.
-- The CCI and CIIF programs corresponds to all three pillars of the
updated science and technology strategy (Knowledge, People and
Innovation) by developing highly skilled people, building research
knowledge and sharing this expertise with business to improve processes
and technologies.
Quotes
"Our government's providing record investments necessary to push the boundaries of knowledge, create jobs, and improve the quality of life of Canadians. Our government is committed to creating the conditions that will allow entrepreneurship to thrive in this country. The collaboration between colleges and local industrial partners generates new products and ideas, creating long-term prosperity for the benefit of all Canadians."
The Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology)
"The state-of-the-art facility here at Mohawk's Additive Manufacturing Resource Centre allows students and businesses to collaborate in new ventures in the world of 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Aerospace and satellite equipment, bicycle parts, and tools for early detection and treatment of breast cancer are just a few of the exciting products being developed at the AMRC."
David Sweet, Member of Parliament for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale
"NSERC is proud to support applied research and technology transfer work at Canada's community colleges. Building college research capacities to help businesses innovate will create economic growth, and train the next generation of researchers and entrepreneurs. From building specialized equipment to developing new research centres, the College and Community Innovation program supports world-class research and innovation in communities all across the country."
Dr. B. Mario Pinto, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
"In today's competitive, global marketplace, businesses are now benefiting from having access to state-of-the-art facilities and exceptional research expertise available to them in colleges across the country. The Canada Foundation for Innovation's College Industry Innovation Fund helps ensure that colleges can position themselves as valuable business research and innovation partners for the benefit of all Canadians."
Dr. Gilles Patry, President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation
Related Products
Results of the Spring 2015 CCI Competition
Results of the CIIF Competition
Associated Links
Information about grants for colleges and the CCI Program
About the College-Industry Innovation Fund
About NSERC
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is the primary funding agency supporting Canada's science and engineering research community. 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 works with over 3,000 Canadian companies that are participating and investing in postsecondary research projects.
About CFI
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.
Contacts: Scott French Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs Office of the Minister of State (Science and Technology) 343-291-2700 Media Relations Industry Canada 343-291-1777 media-relations@ic.gc.ca Martin Leroux Media and Public Affairs Officer Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada 613-943-7618 media@nserc-crsng.gc.ca Michael Bhardwaj Media Relations Canada Foundation for Innovation 613-943-5346 (office) 613-222-1910 (mobile) Michael.bhardwaj@innovation.ca