Algonquin College receives $1.15 million from Colleges Applied Research & Development Fund
Posted on Tuesday, February 6th, 2018
Feb. 6, 2018 (OTTAWA) — Algonquin College has been awarded $1.15 million from the Government of Ontario’s Colleges Applied Research & Development Fund (CARDF).
The College was one of the successful applicants announced Tuesday in Oakville at Sheridan College. Supported by the Ontario Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science and in partnership with Colleges Ontario and Ontario Centres of Excellence, the $20-million CARDF program supports increased industry/post-secondary collaborations.
“Algonquin College is being transformed by Applied Research, experiential learning, and collaboration with community partners,” said President Cheryl Jensen. “This game-changing funding will provide our faculty and students with dynamic opportunities, deliver solutions to our industry partners, and provide our learners with one-of-a-kind work experience and career development. On behalf of the College, I want to thank the Government of Ontario and its program partners for this investment in innovation within our community.”
Algonquin College was awarded funding in two streams: $1-million over two years for Stream 1, the CSSCTP (College Strategic Sector/Cluster/Technology Platform), which supports college partnerships with industry associations; and $150,000 over one year for Stream 2, the CVTA (College Voucher for Technology Adoption), which supports a college’s ability to assess and engage companies’ innovation challenges.
The Stream 1 initiative will see the College create a Digital College Research Lab (DCRL) focused on the exploration of emerging technologies in the Educational Technology (edTech) sector, and their application to post-secondary education. The lab’s initial project is a collaboration with IBM and Salesforce, which will apply IBM Watson machine learning algorithms to develop an early-warning system for students at academic risk.
The Stream 2 funding will allow the College to engage approximately 25 new small or start-up company partners in collaborative, Applied Research projects. An estimated 300 students are currently engaged in CVTA projects with these companies.
“Our province needs talent to continue to sustain its growing innovation eco-system. Investing in applied research and development is a step towards a brighter and more prosperous future for our province,” said Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. “By bringing together colleges and the R&D sector, we’re creating opportunities for our students and ensuring they are ready for the jobs of tomorrow.”
The CVTA projects will provide experiential-learning opportunities for students to develop problem-solving skills and knowledge in trend-setting technologies. Student teams will explore new products, processes, and services of commercial interest to companies. Based on academic program strengths, and industry demand, Algonquin has selected five sector themes: Life Sciences, IT & Digital Design, Electro-Mechanical, Manufacturing & Robotics, Buildings & Energy, and Wireless.
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