George Brown College has received funding to help more businesses develop new products and services, apply innovative research and technologies, and further train students in leading-edge technologies. The college will receive $614,800 over two years for one project, and will collaborate on two other successful projects, for a total of almost $3.9M. The funding comes from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s Applied Research and Technology Partnership (ARTP) program.
George Brown’s ARTP research program will focus on product and process innovation and will be carried out concurrently by the George Brown Product Development Exchange (PDx) and the Fashion Exchange (FX). The funding will primarily support companies in the electromechanical engineering and textile, apparel design and manufacturing sectors.
“Over the last decade, these industries have been disrupted by globalization, digitization, new technologies and, most recently, COVID-19,” says Dr. Krista Holmes, Associate Vice-President of Research and Innovation at George Brown. “These industries are eager to embrace new technologies and adapt to new sustainability standards, but are limited by a lack of in-house resources for research activities. The college’s interdisciplinary research program will provide the expertise required to accelerate Canadian innovation by enabling our industry partners to access the support they need to maintain their competitive advantage.”
George Brown will also collaborate on two additional ARTP initiatives, including the Canadian Materials and Circular Economy Syndicate (CMCES) led by Lambton College, and SONAMI — a Niagara College-led network of nine postsecondary institutions designed to support SMEs in the manufacturing sector across Southern Ontario.
