Niagara College receives nearly $900,000 for research projects
Niagara College has received $890,000 in grants from the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science.
Last week, Reza Moridi, minister of research, innovation and science, announced which funding projects from across the province would be receiving grants, a media release from the college stated.
The grants from the Ontario Centres of Excellence are a part of the Colleges Applied Research and Development Fund.
Niagara College’s research and innovation division received two grants, one worth $700,000 and the other $190,000. These grants will advance current projects and help the college connect to the new industry partners.
The first of the grants will be used by Niagara College students studying precision agriculture and natural sciences.
Led by Mike Duncan, a researcher at the college and also the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s industrial research chair, the team will continue to work on current projects in agricultural technology, such as precision farming. The funds will also go toward securing partners in the agri-food sectors, including crop and commodity organizations, food processing companies and farmers.
“The reinvention of the farm means developing smarter technology to rise to the challenge of fewer farmers managing more land for a growing global population,” Duncan said in the release.
The second grant is going toward fostering partnerships with small- and medium-sized enterprises through the College Voucher for Technology Adoption program.
A total of 23 companies will receive vouchers that will allow them to work with Niagara College’s faculty and student teams to come up with solutions for their business needs.
Technology adaptation in the food and beverage sector, advanced manufacturing, and agricultural and environmental technologies can be addressed by these teams. With the help of the faculty and student teams, new prototypes, processes and test results can be obtained.
Businesses interested in taking advantage of this opportunity are asked to get in touch with Elizabeth Best at the research and innovation centre by emailing ebest@niagaracollege.ca or calling 905-641-2252 ext. 4287.
Not only will these grants contribute to specific projects, but they will give students the opportunity to take what they’ve learned and apply it to real-world business relationships and industry practices.