“We are thrilled to once again earn the No. 1 spot in Canada and Ontario as the top research college,” said NC President Sean Kennedy. “We are exceptionally proud of our Research and Innovation team who provide real-world solutions for businesses and extraordinary experiential learning opportunities for students.”

“As leaders in the postsecondary research and innovation landscape, we support enhanced productivity and new product development, working with industries in a wide range of sectors across Ontario and the country,” said Kennedy. “Our reputation and funding from government and industry continues to grow, as we work together to innovate for the future.

“Among colleges with applied research funding in Canada, NC earned the No. 1 ranking by attracting more than $40 million in research support to conduct innovative projects with industry partners in the advanced manufacturing, business and commercialization, food and beverage, health, horticulture and environment sectors. In the category of completed research projects, NC finished No. 2 for completed research projects at a mid-size college with a total of 178, while NC’s total number of research partnerships was 144, ranking No. 4. In addition, NC reached the No. 1 spot for industry research income with more than $35 million.

“Being recognized as the No. 1 research college in Canada for the second year in a row is a testament to our consistency and commitment to innovation excellence and groundbreaking research that drives real-world solutions for industry,” said Marc Nantel, PhD, Vice President, Research, Innovation and Strategic Enterprises.

“For the College, it means access to world-class talent, resources, and facilities to shape the future of education and industry,” said Nantel. “For our industry partners, it offers a dynamic environment for collaboration, fostering cutting-edge advancements and competitive advantages that can transform industries and benefit society at large.

“Thank you to every staff, student, faculty and researcher who helped us get to where we are today.”

“Placing No. 1 for the second year in a row as the top research college nationally is an impressive feat for Niagara College and a testament to the quality of work from their staff, students, faculty and researchers,” said Ron Freedman, CEO, Research Infosource. “The College’s commitment to prioritizing research and innovation is made evident in this year’s rankings.”

Research funding enables the College to partner with small- and medium-sized businesses in the region to conduct projects and services, which provide innovative solutions for industry, including producing and testing prototypes, evaluating new technologies, and developing new or improved products and processes.

NC conducts applied research, technical services and business and commercialization solutions with industry partners through its Business and Commercialization Innovation Centre, Food and Beverage Innovation Centre, Horticultural and Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre, and Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre.

Across all four Innovation Centres, NC pairs industry partners with highly qualified and experienced staff, researchers, faculty, recent graduates, and students with the expertise to meet applied research and innovation needs in many areas. Students gain real-world experience and professional development while networking directly with industry partners.

In addition, NC leads two multi-institution networks, the Greenhouse Technology Network and the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation, capable of addressing challenges in technologies related to the needs of the greenhouse industry, and in advanced manufacturing, respectively.

As an example of a recent successful partnership, Terra Optima Labs Inc. (Terra Optima), a London-Ontario based company, created a circular system which can divert food wastes from landfills and process it into natural soil amendments, fertilizers, and food, using natural organisms. They use composting worms that consume food waste and produce a valuable manure output called castings.

Terra Optima created a novel vermichar product, comprised of a blend of worm castings and biochar, which has the potential to be used as a natural soil amendment. What they needed, though, was a research and development team to validate their product. When they met members of NC’s Horticultural and Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC) team at a conference, they knew they were the right ones for the job of conducting research trials.

“We were able to gain access to experts in horticulture and research who designed and executed growth trials to a degree which we could not do in-house,” said Will Wang, Co-Founder, Terra Optima. “HESIC’s greenhouse is a great asset to provide a controlled environment to conduct trials year-round.”

The results completed by HESIC validated the effects of their product, which Wang noted they have received from customers reviews and demonstrated in-house. The results also helped determine future product development pathways that Terra Optima could further invest in.