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Newly-Created College Network Bridges the Innovation Gap | November 29, 2007
Ten leading Ontario post-secondary institutions join forces to help small and medium businesses solve innovation challenges
Toronto, Ontario – November 19, 2007 – Small- to mid-sized businesses across Ontario are solving technical problems faster, and moving products and services to market more quickly, with the launch of a new industry innovation network – the first of its kind to focus on applied versus pure research, incremental technology and innovative solutions of a commercial nature.
The Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation (CONII) links 10 of the province’s top colleges located along the technology corridor between Ottawa and Windsor: Algonquin, Centennial, Conestoga, Fanshawe, George Brown, Humber, Niagara, St. Clair, Seneca and Sheridan. Working together, they are making it easier for small business owners to access expertise in a variety of areas to sustain business and remain competitive in today’s global marketplace.
“This is a completely new way of reaching out to our small business community,” says Katharine Janzen, Chair of the CONII Steering Committee and Vice-President, Research and Innovation, at Toronto’s Seneca College. “Colleges have always maintained close contact with business and industry in order to provide highly-skilled, work-ready graduates,” she adds. “With CONII, we’re expanding that relationship to include applied research, development and commercialization services.”
Funded by a three-year, $3.5 million grant through the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation’s Ontario Research Commercialization Program (ORCP), CONII has been launched to develop research projects with businesses that make effective use of faculty expertise, provide students with real-world learning opportunities, and ultimately have a positive economic impact on the province’s small business sector. Rather than pushing “pure” research out into industry for development, CONII members work to solve problems or meet goals driven by community partners, an approach referred to as “market pull,” says Janzen.
Among the first 20 small businesses to benefit under the network is Tertec Enterprises Inc., a system design house based in Markham. Seneca College, a CONII member in Toronto, is providing valuable expertise by helping the company incorporate advanced features into assistive devices for the elderly and disabled, called Mon Ami. Under the Mon Ami project, students and faculty have developed a web-based communication link – which has already been brought to market – that allows caregivers to remotely interact with an electronic wall-mounted device in the home of the elderly or disabled. For example, if a patient’s medication regime has changed, a caregiver can remotely program the device to issue verbal reminders about when and what pills to take.
Seneca students are also involved in the development of several prototypes for Tertec, such as a robotic arm that enables a blind person to control the operation of a microwave, a pill dispenser that ensures medications are taken in accurate doses at the right time, a security device designed to recognize and detect the shape – as opposed to heat or motion – of a person, so that it can alert a third-party if a patient falls, and a communication system that offers good, accurate voice recognition at an affordable cost.
Niagara-based entrepreneur Len Crispino is also benefitting from working with a CONII member, Niagara College. Crispino, who owns and operates a private vineyard in the Niagara region, was searching for an innovative solution to the very real – and costly – problem of winter vine damage. Using three-dimensional mapping and geographical information system (GIS) technologies, students from Niagara College’s Advanced Visualization Centre in Welland have created an extremely accurate visual model of Crispino’s vineyard that not only allows him to pinpoint the best placement of specially-designed wind machines in order to prevent cool air from pooling, but also helps to address drainage and soil issues as well.
“Niagara College researchers have given vineyard owners like me an important decision-making tool,” says Crispino, who anticipates less crop damage this winter thanks to the students’ ongoing work. “They have been a tremendous resource in helping me to address my business challenges as a small operator.”
“This network is about leveraging the field and industry expertise of our faculty with the specialized skills of our students in order to solve real-world challenges,” says Marti Jurmain, Director of Research and Innovation at Niagara College. “Not only do these opportunities for collaboration benefit companies like Crispino’s, but they also bring an unprecedented level of energy and enthusiasm to the college environment.”
As part of the CONII mandate, each member college has created an industry innovation centre to serve as a primary point of contact for business owners looking for assistance. Each college has also agreed to participate in a central database of resources so that anyone who approaches a college can be directed to the most appropriate subject matter expert, regardless of location. In addition to the ORCP funding, which includes $609,000 for proof of principle research projects, CONII also taps into other government programs, such as the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE).
Additional research projects supported by CONII in its first year of operation include:
A team of students and faculty at Algonquin College in Ottawa is working with SeeWind Design Corporation to develop an environmentally-friendly, next-generation power intelligence solution, designed to keep branch office computer systems running in the event of power failure. Another research project is designing a new technology that automatically separates walnut shells from the nut meat, speeding the current, labour-intensive process used by commercial markets.
· At Conestoga College in Kitchener, researchers are helping to design an integrated heat recovery and air-handling system for use in multi-unit residential buildings that is both energy- and space-efficient. They are also working with manufacturers to bring process improvements to the assembly of electronic devices and to solve product quality issues encountered in injection molding, the process of infusing molten plastic into a mold at high pressure.
· Students at Fanshawe College in London have constructed a one-of-a-kind specimen home modelled after a typical family home. The full-size specimen home, built in the University of Western Ontario’s (UWO) The Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes, enables UWO researchers to study the effects of winds as strong as a category five hurricane using special monitoring equipment housed in its base. The data will be used by the insurance and home-building industries to examine better ways of building and renovating houses in the light of rising costs associated with natural disasters.
· Another major study at Fanshawe is breaking new scientific ground by demonstrating how traditional air quality monitoring standards might actually be missing high pollution levels when variations in air quality occur in short time intervals. Working with local hospitals, the research is being used to investigate the link between rapid air quality changes and the health impact on people with breathing problems, and gives manufacturers the valuable information they need to provide state-of-the-art environmental monitoring equipment.
· Toronto-based George Brown College researchers are working with Bloorview Kids Rehab to develop a postage stamp-sized circuit board that can fit on the head of a pen. The researchers – working out of the college’s microelectronics lab – have created a wireless prototype for Bloorview’s handwriting data analysis unit, which is under development. Once commercialized, the “electronic pen” will be used by occupational therapists and clinicians to assess grip strength, position and control, paper pressure, and speed of printing, and will serve as a diagnostic device for children with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and developmental coordination disorder (DCD).
· Seneca College students and faculty in Toronto have teamed with Mozilla Corp. to bring enhancements to the popular Mozilla Firefox web browser and other open source software applications. In addition to developing notable software features, such as animation support in Firefox version 3.0, students are actively involved in ongoing quality assurance, testing and documentation projects. Current research efforts include fixing issues with text rendering, creating tools to help gather data on how users interact with the web, and translating Firefox into other languages such as Armenian.
· A three-year study by Seneca students is also examining the different materials used in storm water management systems. The findings will play a vital role in helping urban areas to channel rain water appropriately and to reduce the likelihood of flooding and property damage.
· In Brampton, Sheridan College students identified production and efficiency improvements at Brampton-based Jambo Kitmeer Company Ltd., a recycling and reusable clothing packaging plant, leading to increased efficiencies and a total cost savings of $240,000 per year. The plant, which reduces pollution and waste through its production process, can now expand its business and create jobs by introducing automated packaging and a computerized feeding system, as recommended by the students.
· Students at St. Clair College in Windsor successfully tested a revolutionary cold-spray technology developed by CentreLine Ltd., a local automotive company, confirming engine repair as a new, marketable use for the product.
“The idea behind CONII is to turn a competitive college culture into a collaborative one,” notes Janzen, adding that the target is to complete 50 applied research projects by the end of 2009. The economic sectors targeted by the college network include alternative energy, environmental technologies and construction, digital media, health and life sciences, hospitality and tourism, information and communication technologies, manufacturing and materials, and viticulture and agri-business. However, all businesses are welcome and encouraged to contact their local college industry innovation centre for help with research, innovation and commercialization.
For more information about CONII and its member colleges, please visit www.conii.ca.
Toronto, Ontario – November 19, 2007 – Small- to mid-sized businesses across Ontario are solving technical problems faster, and moving products and services to market more quickly, with the launch of a new industry innovation network – the first of its kind to focus on applied versus pure research, incremental technology and innovative solutions of a commercial nature.
The Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation (CONII) links 10 of the province’s top colleges located along the technology corridor between Ottawa and Windsor: Algonquin, Centennial, Conestoga, Fanshawe, George Brown, Humber, Niagara, St. Clair, Seneca and Sheridan. Working together, they are making it easier for small business owners to access expertise in a variety of areas to sustain business and remain competitive in today’s global marketplace.
“This is a completely new way of reaching out to our small business community,” says Katharine Janzen, Chair of the CONII Steering Committee and Vice-President, Research and Innovation, at Toronto’s Seneca College. “Colleges have always maintained close contact with business and industry in order to provide highly-skilled, work-ready graduates,” she adds. “With CONII, we’re expanding that relationship to include applied research, development and commercialization services.”
Funded by a three-year, $3.5 million grant through the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation’s Ontario Research Commercialization Program (ORCP), CONII has been launched to develop research projects with businesses that make effective use of faculty expertise, provide students with real-world learning opportunities, and ultimately have a positive economic impact on the province’s small business sector. Rather than pushing “pure” research out into industry for development, CONII members work to solve problems or meet goals driven by community partners, an approach referred to as “market pull,” says Janzen.
Among the first 20 small businesses to benefit under the network is Tertec Enterprises Inc., a system design house based in Markham. Seneca College, a CONII member in Toronto, is providing valuable expertise by helping the company incorporate advanced features into assistive devices for the elderly and disabled, called Mon Ami. Under the Mon Ami project, students and faculty have developed a web-based communication link – which has already been brought to market – that allows caregivers to remotely interact with an electronic wall-mounted device in the home of the elderly or disabled. For example, if a patient’s medication regime has changed, a caregiver can remotely program the device to issue verbal reminders about when and what pills to take.
Seneca students are also involved in the development of several prototypes for Tertec, such as a robotic arm that enables a blind person to control the operation of a microwave, a pill dispenser that ensures medications are taken in accurate doses at the right time, a security device designed to recognize and detect the shape – as opposed to heat or motion – of a person, so that it can alert a third-party if a patient falls, and a communication system that offers good, accurate voice recognition at an affordable cost.
Niagara-based entrepreneur Len Crispino is also benefitting from working with a CONII member, Niagara College. Crispino, who owns and operates a private vineyard in the Niagara region, was searching for an innovative solution to the very real – and costly – problem of winter vine damage. Using three-dimensional mapping and geographical information system (GIS) technologies, students from Niagara College’s Advanced Visualization Centre in Welland have created an extremely accurate visual model of Crispino’s vineyard that not only allows him to pinpoint the best placement of specially-designed wind machines in order to prevent cool air from pooling, but also helps to address drainage and soil issues as well.
“Niagara College researchers have given vineyard owners like me an important decision-making tool,” says Crispino, who anticipates less crop damage this winter thanks to the students’ ongoing work. “They have been a tremendous resource in helping me to address my business challenges as a small operator.”
“This network is about leveraging the field and industry expertise of our faculty with the specialized skills of our students in order to solve real-world challenges,” says Marti Jurmain, Director of Research and Innovation at Niagara College. “Not only do these opportunities for collaboration benefit companies like Crispino’s, but they also bring an unprecedented level of energy and enthusiasm to the college environment.”
As part of the CONII mandate, each member college has created an industry innovation centre to serve as a primary point of contact for business owners looking for assistance. Each college has also agreed to participate in a central database of resources so that anyone who approaches a college can be directed to the most appropriate subject matter expert, regardless of location. In addition to the ORCP funding, which includes $609,000 for proof of principle research projects, CONII also taps into other government programs, such as the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE).
Additional research projects supported by CONII in its first year of operation include:
A team of students and faculty at Algonquin College in Ottawa is working with SeeWind Design Corporation to develop an environmentally-friendly, next-generation power intelligence solution, designed to keep branch office computer systems running in the event of power failure. Another research project is designing a new technology that automatically separates walnut shells from the nut meat, speeding the current, labour-intensive process used by commercial markets.
· At Conestoga College in Kitchener, researchers are helping to design an integrated heat recovery and air-handling system for use in multi-unit residential buildings that is both energy- and space-efficient. They are also working with manufacturers to bring process improvements to the assembly of electronic devices and to solve product quality issues encountered in injection molding, the process of infusing molten plastic into a mold at high pressure.
· Students at Fanshawe College in London have constructed a one-of-a-kind specimen home modelled after a typical family home. The full-size specimen home, built in the University of Western Ontario’s (UWO) The Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes, enables UWO researchers to study the effects of winds as strong as a category five hurricane using special monitoring equipment housed in its base. The data will be used by the insurance and home-building industries to examine better ways of building and renovating houses in the light of rising costs associated with natural disasters.
· Another major study at Fanshawe is breaking new scientific ground by demonstrating how traditional air quality monitoring standards might actually be missing high pollution levels when variations in air quality occur in short time intervals. Working with local hospitals, the research is being used to investigate the link between rapid air quality changes and the health impact on people with breathing problems, and gives manufacturers the valuable information they need to provide state-of-the-art environmental monitoring equipment.
· Toronto-based George Brown College researchers are working with Bloorview Kids Rehab to develop a postage stamp-sized circuit board that can fit on the head of a pen. The researchers – working out of the college’s microelectronics lab – have created a wireless prototype for Bloorview’s handwriting data analysis unit, which is under development. Once commercialized, the “electronic pen” will be used by occupational therapists and clinicians to assess grip strength, position and control, paper pressure, and speed of printing, and will serve as a diagnostic device for children with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and developmental coordination disorder (DCD).
· Seneca College students and faculty in Toronto have teamed with Mozilla Corp. to bring enhancements to the popular Mozilla Firefox web browser and other open source software applications. In addition to developing notable software features, such as animation support in Firefox version 3.0, students are actively involved in ongoing quality assurance, testing and documentation projects. Current research efforts include fixing issues with text rendering, creating tools to help gather data on how users interact with the web, and translating Firefox into other languages such as Armenian.
· A three-year study by Seneca students is also examining the different materials used in storm water management systems. The findings will play a vital role in helping urban areas to channel rain water appropriately and to reduce the likelihood of flooding and property damage.
· In Brampton, Sheridan College students identified production and efficiency improvements at Brampton-based Jambo Kitmeer Company Ltd., a recycling and reusable clothing packaging plant, leading to increased efficiencies and a total cost savings of $240,000 per year. The plant, which reduces pollution and waste through its production process, can now expand its business and create jobs by introducing automated packaging and a computerized feeding system, as recommended by the students.
· Students at St. Clair College in Windsor successfully tested a revolutionary cold-spray technology developed by CentreLine Ltd., a local automotive company, confirming engine repair as a new, marketable use for the product.
“The idea behind CONII is to turn a competitive college culture into a collaborative one,” notes Janzen, adding that the target is to complete 50 applied research projects by the end of 2009. The economic sectors targeted by the college network include alternative energy, environmental technologies and construction, digital media, health and life sciences, hospitality and tourism, information and communication technologies, manufacturing and materials, and viticulture and agri-business. However, all businesses are welcome and encouraged to contact their local college industry innovation centre for help with research, innovation and commercialization.
For more information about CONII and its member colleges, please visit www.conii.ca.
