Photo: Marc Nantel, PhD (associate VP, Research & Innovation at Niagara College) receives the Gold Award of Excellence in Applied Research and Innovation from Zong Wa (WFCP deputy chair, Asia at the WFCP 2018 World Congress in Melbourne, Australia on Oct. 9.
Niagara College’s Research & Innovation division won the top award for applied research and innovation from the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP).
On October 9, the WFCP announced Niagara College as the winner of its 2018 Gold Award of Excellence in Applied Research and Innovation. The Awards of Excellence were presented at the WFCP 2018 World Congress in Melbourne, Australia.
It was the third Awards of Excellence event for the WFCP, recognizing leaders in the field of professional and technical education and training. Recipients were recognized in seven categories – with a gold, silver or bronze awarded in each category – based on the international value of the award-winning institutions, individuals, and programs, as well as their achievements, benefits to students, and innovation.
“This award is a tremendous honour for our division, as it validates Niagara College’s place as a leader in applied research,” said NC’s associate vice-president, Research & Innovation, Marc Nantel, PhD, who travelled to Australia to attend the award ceremony. “We are proud of the strides we’ve made providing solutions for key industry sectors, while training today’s students to become tomorrow’s innovative workforce. And we are encouraged to continue evolving the best practices that have placed us on this world stage.”
President Dan Patterson, PhD, applauded news of the award and congratulated his Research & Innovation division, which operates at the College’s Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake campuses.
“Niagara College’s Research & Innovation division is second to none, thanks to the efforts of our R&I faculty, staff and students who were instrumental to winning this award. While it offers unparalleled learning experiences for our students and graduates, it continues to play a major role in the economic development of our community,” said Patterson. “Focusing on three major sectors – agriculture and environmental technologies, advanced manufacturing, and food and beverage innovation – our high-performance R&I division provides innovative solutions to help small- and medium-sized businesses leap forward in the marketplace.”
The WFCP Gold Award of Excellence follows several accolades for NC’s Research & Innovation division this year. In April, Niagara College won a silver award for Applied Research and Innovative Excellence from Colleges and Institutes Canada, and NC’s R&I Division earned the Canadian Top 50 Research Colleges standing of No. 7 in 2017 and 2016.
~ with files from Julie Greco – see more here
