Research Manitoba recently announced that RRC Polytech has been awarded a Research Connections grant as part of an overall $64,750 investment towards the overall advancement of the research ecosystem across the province.  

Research Connections funding supports events that create skill development opportunities, facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration, highlight research findings to the public, and connect researchers with potential industry partners. Eligible events include conferences, workshops, seminars, and other research-related gatherings.

In recognition of the 20th anniversary of its Research Partnerships & Innovation (RPI) enterprise, RRC Polytech will be holding a showcase event this fall to connect researchers across disciplines and build relationships with industry, funders and other post-secondaries. This will provide an opportunity to elevate profiles, forge interdisciplinary collaboration, exchange best practices and share valuable insights into the success of applied research at RRC Polytech.

Please mark October 16th on your calendar and stay tuned for more information!

The deadline to apply for the Wawanesa Climate Champions: Youth Innovation Grant is approaching.

As a Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2) Partner Institution, current students and recent graduates from RRC Polytech could be awarded a $30,000 grant to initiate or extend a project/innovation that is youth-led (ages 18-30) and focused on climate change or climate mitigation. All projects will be made possible with funding from Wawanesa Insurance.

Canada needs your innovative solutions now more than ever. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be a Climate Champion that creates lasting change. Apply for the Youth Innovation Grant today for your chance to be part of a more sustainable future.

Click to apply

Last week, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) announced a $3,250,000 Mobilize grant to fund Red River College Polytechnic’s new Digital Technology Transformation Initiative (DTTI). The funding comes as part of a larger investment from NSERC to support applied research projects at colleges across Canada that are designed to address local challenges.

The DTTI will build applied research capacity to support Manitoba as it moves towards digital transformation, while achieving net-zero goals in the leading sectors of advanced manufacturing and climate/clean tech.

“This funding empowers RRC Polytech, through the DTTI, to strengthen our position as a vital resource in Manitoba’s innovation ecosystem, regional socioeconomic system, and provincial economy now and into the future,” says Jamie Wilson, Vice President, Indigenous Strategy, Research and Business Development at RRC Polytech. “The establishment of the DTTI is not only a great benefit to the College and our partners, but it goes a long way in supporting RRC Polytech as we strive to meet our strategic commitments – particularly deepening partnerships to maximize prosperity across industry and community.”

The DTTI aims to rapidly accelerate digitally-focused applied research expertise at RRC Polytech, so the College can continue to address industry’s most critical needs in the areas of advanced digital manufacturing (ADM) and climate/clean tech, while laying the groundwork for deepening collaborations with current and prospective partners in these areas. The DTTI will also provide invaluable experiential learning opportunities for students while facilitating a talent pipeline of diverse innovators to power the workforce of tomorrow.

“The DTTI is designed to alleviate some of the common challenges faced by the advanced manufacturing and climate and clean tech sectors, such as the increased pressure on businesses to engage in digital innovation, adoption, and net-zero strategies,” says Wilson.

“While RRC Polytech has existing and substantial infrastructure and expertise, this funding provides the additional human resource capacity and project funds necessary to establish a broad range of interdisciplinary applied research partnerships in the digital technology transformation space.”

RRC Polytech’s research enterprise, Research Partnerships & Innovation, has been a crucial player in the Canadian applied research scene for 20 years. The Mobilize funding comes on the heels of RRC Polytech’s recent 14^th place ranking in Re$earch Infosource’s annual list of Canada’s top 50 research colleges.

For more information, visit rrc.ca/ar.

Today, during Global Entrepreneurship Week, Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), announced a more than $22.7 million investment to support innovation and growth in Manitoba. This funding was awarded to 16 projects across the province, including RRC Polytech’s Advanced Composites Development Centre (ACDC), operated by the Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing (TACAM).

This investment is great news for expanding the frontiers of applied research and workforce development in Manitoba. It’s also a prime example of government, academia, and industry working together to strengthen our province.

“Our investment today will support both Manitoba’s economy and business, helping to continue to make Manitoba a great place to invest, do business, and create good jobs people can count on. Our partnership with Manitoba businesses will help them in acquiring the tools, capital, and support they need to thrive as significant contributors to the Prairie and Canadian economies,” said The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan.

Alongside PrairiesCan’s investment, National Research Council Canada, Magellan Aerospace, and Convergent Manufacturing Technologies have put a combined $1.5 million contribution to expanding the Advanced Composites Development Centre.

The funding will enable RRC Polytech to expand our capabilities in advanced composite manufacturing using robotics, automation, and data analytics. This collaboration will also help to industrialize emerging composite manufacturing technologies, improve our knowledge base, open doors for new business opportunities for the private sector, and develop a much-needed workforce in advanced manufacturing and aerospace. 

“The investment in the Advanced Composites Development Centre will help us do many things – build capacity for technology transfer with industry partners, specifically small- and medium-size enterprises who do not have resources for in-house research and development; teach advanced manufacturing skills to learners, using new and emerging technologies; and overall create new jobs and attract more investments in Manitoba,” said Dr. Dele Ola, Director, TACAM.  

Our province is a prairie powerhouse for manufacturing and aerospace. Together, through the strength of this collaboration of public and private organizations, we can continue to maintain Manitoba’s position as an international hub for manufacturing.

Learn more about RRC Polytech’s Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing at rrc.ca/tacam

Feature photo: L-R – Rick Penner, President, Emerge Knowledge; Jen Peters, Co-Founder, Emerge Knowledge; Louie Ghiz, Executive Director, New Media Manitoba; The Honourable Dan Vandal; DeleOla, Director, Director of the Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing, Red River College Polytechnic

RRC Polytech’s Vehicle Technology & Energy Centre (VTEC) will continue to lead the charge on the shift to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV), thanks to support from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

The federal government, through NRCan recently announced a $225,000 grant for Enhancing Workplace Charging across Canada’s Prairie Region through Emphasizing Strategies for Cost-Effective Adaptation of Charging Infrastructure (Enhancing Workplace Charging), an initiative RRC Polytech will lead alongside partners Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and Saskatchewan Polytechnic (Sask Polytech). This grant was provided along with funding for 22 organizations across Canada to undertake ZEV awareness projects.

Through this partnership, the College is extending its reach from Manitoba to throughout the Prairies to build public awareness of charging options for electric vehicles (EVs).

“Our VTEC team at the College is excited to build on the momentum of EV projects we’ve completed over the last decade. This initiative is particularly important because it addresses a major challenge of making the shift to EVs on the individual level, and how organizations can support charging infrastructure for the general public,” says Jojo Delos Reyes, Research Program Manager, VTEC.

The overall aim of the collaborative initiative is to address one of the most significant barriers to EV adoption, “range anxiety” due to lack of access to charging infrastructure. RRC Polytech and project partners have identified that the Prairie region presents a major opportunity to implement charging stations to meet workplace charging needs. Throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, there are numerous existing plug-in-points (nearly 500,000 in Manitoba alone) due to the cold climate, which can be adapted in a cost-effective manner for Level 1 charging.

To support EV adoption, RRC Polytech’s VTEC team, NAIT and Sask Polytech will leverage collective expertise to research and distribute informational material to build awareness of charging options and how to adapt current infrastructure for Level 1 workplace charging.

RRC Polytech is a founding member of Accelerate and member of Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2), and the Enhancing Workplace Charging project goals directly align with the mandates of these alliances to support a greener future, highlighting the College’s commitment to sustainability.

In addition, the project will help build a future workforce trained for clean-tech jobs, through student participation in applied learning. RRC Polytech researchers, technicians, and students will also help build the College’s capabilities for new zero-emission technology initiatives.

RRC Polytech remains on the leading-edge of the drive to zero-emission vehicles, growing the province as a hub for EV innovation and adoption. To learn more about the College’s past vehicle technology projects, visit rrc.ca/vtec

Red River College (RRC) has received a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) College and Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF) grant.

The grant supports a three-year project led by RRC’s Building Efficiency Technology Access Centre (BETAC) to provide building performance evaluations (BPE) and post-occupancy evaluations (POE) for existing and new long-term care homes (LTCHs) in Manitoba.

The built environment is a contributing factor for health outcomes, for example, poor air quality can be detrimental for people living with respiratory conditions. Additionally, poor air circulation can be connected to the spread of COVID-19.

The pandemic’s disproportionate impact on long-term care residents, highlights underlying issues and the need to re-think the design, construction, and operation of LTCHs.

With approximately 10,000 residents currently living in LTCHs in the province – and the number of long-term care beds required in Manitoba projected to drastically increase by 2035 – the building performance project is an important initiative that will help inform critical improvements, impacting lives of long-term care residents.

“Students from RRC’s Nursing, Architectural Engineering Technology and Construction Management programs are working in tandem with industry partners, which gives them a unique opportunity to develop their skillsets as they relate to industry and other program areas,” says Arnold Boldt, Executive Director, Academic, Red River College.

“The project not only provides students with applied knowledge for their future careers, but students are also getting the opportunity to help improve the lives of older adults in the community.”

The project has a strong interdisciplinary approach, engaging local industry partners – Efficiency MB, fT3 Architecture, MMP Architects Inc., and the University of Manitoba – alongside BETAC and RRC students. The interdisciplinary team is undertaking BPE, POE as well as using qualitative measures, including resident surveys, to determine perceived quality of life in the built environment.

The project brings to light the challenges of a global aging population, and how it relates directly to residents in LTCHs in Manitoba.

“The College and Community Innovation program provides innovative solutions for local and regional challenges through the expertise of Canadian colleges. On behalf of the Tri-agency, I would like to congratulate all college recipients and their industry and community partners who provide social, economic and environmental benefits to communities of all sizes across the country,” says Alejandro Adem, President, Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada.

BETAC staff, industry partners, and RRC students are currently working on the first phase of the building performance project. In addition to BPE, the project also uses POE, an area where there’s currently a lack of data for LTCHs, helping generate benchmarks.

The project’s reach will extend beyond provincial borders, through building awareness and sharing findings at national conferences and online webinars.

On April 17, 2020, the Government of Canada announced $250 million in funding for the Innovation Assistance Program (IAP) to assist Canadian small and medium-sized  enterprises (SMEs).

IRAP IAP provides a wage subsidy to eligible employers for up to 12 weeks.

SMEs pursuing technology-driven innovation who have been unable to secure funding under the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) are eligible and can apply for financial assistance under IRAP IAP.

The call for applications will close April 29, 2020.

For more information about the program please click here.

Here is the link to the application portal: https://nrc-covid-19.microsoftcrmportals.com/en-CA/

NSERC (the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) has launched a funding opportunity for applied research rapid response to COVID-19.

The grant will provide up to $75,000.00 for one year and will use some of the College and Community Social Innovation Fund (CCSIF) framework and application form. Applications are expected to respond to one of the following:

• Assisting industry with production challenges to address COVID-19 (e.g., prototyping, enhanced production processes, repurposing of existing manufacturing infrastructure for production of new products, data analytics relating to the COVID-19 outbreak, etc.).
• Contributing to the solution of community innovation challenges (health, social, policy) of immediate relevance to the COVID 19 outbreak (e.g. impact of social isolation on vulnerable populations, implementation of community social distancing policies, addressing mental health impacts of COVID-19, changing scope of policies and regulations, etc.).

Applications will be accepted in the NSERC Online system until June 1, pending availability of funds.

For more details, please visit: www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Innovate-Innover/CCI-COVID_eng.asp

Up to $3.6M available to institutions to develop local software teams dedicated to equipping researchers with powerful software tools

CANARIE, a vital component of Canada’s digital research infrastructure (DRI) ecosystem supporting research, education and innovation, has announced a Call for Proposals to fund local teams at Canadian higher-ed institutions to help accelerate scientific discoveries by simplifying researchers’ access to world-class software for research.

Research increasingly relies on purpose-built software. However, many researchers don’t have the resources to manage software development teams and are unaware of research software that already exists and could be easily adapted to meet their needs. In response to this challenge and with the goal of maximizing the impact of public investments in research, CANARIE launched a pilot in 2018 to fund local, expert software teams at institutions to work directly with researchers.

Following the success of this pilot and similar efforts deployed in European countries, CANARIE’s Local Research Software Support call will fund teams of three dedicated, full-time research software developers at a target of six (6) participating institutions. These teams will be available to support all researchers at each of the participating institutions, regardless of discipline, and will provide guidance, training, expertise, and software development specific to advancing research projects.

Detailed information on this call including eligibility requirements, project milestones, and application resources can be found at: canarie.ca/software/lrss-call1.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is launching a pilot funding opportunity to enhance the communications skills of students and researchers in the natural sciences and engineering. Such skills will contribute to science literacy, help counter science-related misinformation, and foster a role for science in evidence-based decision making.

The new pilot program, Science Communication Skills grant (pilot), is targeted at organizations that provide science communication skills training to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students, fellows, and faculty from Canadian post-secondary institutions. The training should have as its goal the effective communication of science to the general public. Organizations may request up to $20,000 in funding for a one year period.

NSERC encourages organizations to consider the needs of official language minority communities in their area while developing their proposed  activities and to have official documentation and promotional material in both official languages.

Applications must be submitted by May 15.