Did you know? Cross-disciplinary applied research is taking place more and more among the innovation centres within the Research & Innovation division of Niagara College. For example, The Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC) and the Canadian Food and Wine Institute (CFWI) Innovation Centre are collaboratively working to develop low-cost, innovative technologies for a number of agri-food companies in the Niagara region, and beyond. These technologies will enable participating local farmers and food processors to improve production efficiency and increase their competitiveness.
How does it work? When a company identifies a specific challenge related to their production, WAMIC uses its expertise in engineering, manufacturing, and technology to create a solution that is framed and adapted to the specified agri-food case as identified by the CFWI Innovation Centre’s dedicated team of food and beverage scientists and technologists. This cross-centre partnership offers a great opportunity for companies to adopt new techniques and technologies at a low cost. How low? That depends on the amount of time invested in the solution, but funding is available for applied research partnerships between the industry and the college. In some cases, most of the initial exploratory costs can be covered by funding through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP). See the Project profile in this newsletter, on the Sweat Academy, for example.
If you are a farming company or food processor, or an agri-food company, and you are looking to create new products or processes, or improve existing products of processes, reach out to us today. Start the conversation by contacting Elizabeth Best, business development coordinator, by email at [email protected]
To learn more about all of our centres’ resources, capabilities, and view past success stories, visit ncinnovation.ca.
