Category: Boosting Innovation

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May 17, 2023

Podcast – From Hurdles to Breakthroughs: The Role of College and Institute Applied Research in Canadian Innovation #CIW2023

To celebrate Canadian Innovation Week (#CIW23), a five-day celebration powered by the Rideau Hall Foundation that recognizes ingenuity across Canada, we’re bringing you a special edition podcast discussing colleges and institutes’ vital role in advancing Canadian innovation.

Our guests dive into the dynamic realm of applied research within Canada’s college and institute system. They explore the unique qualities that set college applied research apart and its profound impact on students, businesses, and communities across the country. They also share some practical advice for colleges and institutes looking to develop or expand their applied research programs and share inspiring stories of innovation that showcase how this work creates lasting change and fosters better futures for people, communities, and the planet.

This conversation coincides with the ongoing expansion of applied research within colleges and institutes, contributing to the advancement of SDG 4 Quality Education, SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 9 Innovation, Industry, and Infrastructure.

Join us as we spotlight colleges and institutes’ remarkable contributions to Canadian innovation during #CIW2023 and beyond.

Listen on :

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April 24, 2023

Investing in our planet today ensures a sustainable community for the future

Did you know that April 22 (this past Saturday) was Earth Day? Earth Day encourages citizens around the world to be more environmentally conscious and do their part to contribute to a greener society. The theme “Invest in Our Planet” highlights the importance of dedicating time, resources, and energy to solving climate change and other environmental issues.

The climate emergency is happening now. SDG 13 challenges us to take urgent action to combat the global challenge and its impacts.

As educators, we provide students with job-ready skills to contribute to the green economy. As a network of innovators, we develop solutions to climate challenges through applied research. And, as community residents, our campus infrastructure demonstrates net-zero and sustainable design. For example:

  • At Saskatchewan Polytechnic, the Energy and Resources Lab is a hub for all energy-related applied research and training programs, focusing on sustainable and alternative-energy technologies, smart grids, and the construction of energy-efficient homes.
  • At Nova Scotia Community College, the Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology (ESET) program gives students the opportunity to develop skills in energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable design, and contribute to climate change mitigation.
  • At Nunavut Arctic College, the Environmental Technology Program gives students hands-on experiences to learn the necessary skills to find employment as environmental practitioners in fields like natural resource management, waste management, environmental protection, and more.
  • At Cégep de Jonquière, the Centre TERRE (Technologies des ÉnergiesRenouvelables et du Rendement Énergétique) is a research and learning centre that specializes in green technologies and renewable energies, including wind, water, sun, and bio energies.
  • At BCIT, the Zero Energy/Emissions Buildings Learning Centre offers courses and programs that help construction practitioners better understand the details of specific provincial energy codes and learn how to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from the existing building stock.
  • At George Brown College, the Limberlost Place is a mass timber, net-zero building that will (soon) be home to the Brookfield Sustainability Institute (BSI), a community learning hub dedicated to sustainability. The Limberlost Place is currently under construction and is set to welcome students in January 2025.
  • At Medicine Hat College, the Sustainable Innovation diploma challenges learners to broaden their perspective and create new products, services, systems, and processes that develop long-term solutions and address all 17 SDGs, including SDG 13 Climate Action.

As a country, we are heading towards net-zero. As a sector, colleges and institutes are leading the way. Our members are investing in our planet by preparing industries and learners for the net zero economy.

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April 11, 2023

Applied research allows more Canadian businesses to innovate in a global world

Budget 2023 is here, and our sector’s innovation story was a key investment. The budget recognizes the critical role colleges and institutes play in helping small and medium-sized businesses innovate. It’s a big win for Canadian businesses in challenging times.

Specifically, Budget 2023 invests $108.6 million over three years in college and institute applied research through the existing College and Community Innovation Program. Administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), The College and Community Innovation program is tri-agency funding that provides innovative solutions for local and regional challenges faced by businesses, government, and communities, through the expertise of Canadian colleges, institutes, CEGEPs, and polytechnics.

How it works? In the college and institute context, applied research is the development of innovative solutions to real-world challenges. Businesses and community organizations – especially SMEs and entrepreneurs that often do not have large budgets for research and development – come to their local institution with a problem to solve. There, they get access to state-of-the-art facilities, specialized equipment, and technical experts to help them advance their business.

  • In real numbers, that expertise led to over 6,400 applied research projects amounting to 5,500 new processes, products, prototypes, and services in only one year (2019-2020). In Budget terms, that means more than $108 million over three years is reinvested in the long-term sustainability of Canadian industry.

Applied research is at the intersection of SDG 4 Quality Education, SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 9 Innovation, Industry, and Infrastructure. Canadian businesses and community organizations of all sizes (in all areas of the country) benefit from real solutions to real problems. Students gain valuable work experience and skills to join the job market by participating in cutting-edge, industry-relevant research projects. And we all benefit from innovations that help futureproof the Canadian economy.

Facing inflation, labour shortages, large-scale economic transformations, and a climate crisis, there’s still more to do to rebuild Canada’s workforce, address inequality, and transition to a net-zero economy. Other Budget 2023 measures we’re keeping an eye on:

  • Skills and Training: Budget 2023 provides $197.7 million in 2024-25 to the Student Work Placement Program to continue creating quality work-integrated learning opportunities for students through partnerships between employers and post-secondary education institutions. It also introduces cross-government reviews to examine if improvements can be made to skills training and youth programming.
  • Infrastructure: Budget 2023 announces that the Canada Infrastructure Bank will invest at least $20 billion in existing priority areas to support clean electricity and clean growth infrastructure projects. It also provides $500 million over ten years to the Strategic Innovation Fund to support the development and application of clean technologies in Canada.
  • Indigenous Supports: Budget 2023 provides $5 million in 2023-24 to Indigenous Services Canada to support the co-development of an Economic Reconciliation Framework with Indigenous partners that will increase economic opportunities for Indigenous Peoples, communities, and businesses.

What now? We’re keen to get back to our regular advocacy and engage actively with key federal departments and stakeholders in the coming weeks as the announced programs are designed and implemented!

Be active in your communities and on social media to promote colleges and institutes as key players and be sure to let us know of visits and meetings that take place.

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February 27, 2023

Innovation starts with a challenge (SDG 9)

What do you get when you combine a college or institute, a small business, and a challenge? We’ll give you a hint – it’s one of Canada’s strongest motors for innovation and a fundamental part of Canada’s largest postsecondary network. The answer is applied research.

It’s more important than ever that we think creatively about economic, social, and environmental challenges and applied research is key to this. Unfortunately, innovation is often underfunded. In fact, while (in 2020) OECD countries invested an average of 2.67% of GDP on research, Canada spent just 1.84%. Imagine what we could achieve if we invested more strategically.

In communities all across the country, businesses (especially SMEs and entrepreneurs) and community organizations come to their local college or institute with a problem. Think: how can I make my product more efficient, with less waste? Or: how can I make the services my organization provides more inclusive?

Across nearly 700 campuses, colleges and institutes provide would-be innovators with access to state-of-the-art facilities, specialized equipment, and technical experts to help them advance their businesses. In real numbers, that expertise led to 8,000 total research partnerships, over 6,400 applied research projects, 5,500 new processes, products, prototypes, and services in every year (based on most recent data, 2019-2020).

Here are just a few of the many examples of applied research boosting innovation in our communities:

  • At the Engineered Technology Applied Research Lab (Nova Scotia Community College), applied research has led to the development of a cost-effective water-filtration solution for the predominantly black community in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. The student project focused on creating a versatile remote sensor system (VRSS) used to collect data in wells or on land to better understand environmental conditions.
  • At Lion Electric (working with the Innovative Vehicle Institute at Cégep de Saint-Jérôme) applied research means the developing of a new school bus with electric motorization. Once complete, this project became a turning point for Lion Electric as they converted their offerings to 100% electric buses and trucks.
  • At Contextere (working with Algonquin College), applied research means the developing of the Advanced Virtual Assistant (AVA) application, now named Madison. This Microsoft Teams-integrated application makes it faster to retrieve information about machinery operation and technical issues encountered by workers in the field. The platform facilitates a 50% reduction in non-productive time and a 40% reduction in safety incidents for companies who use it.

Each year, more and more Canadian businesses and community organizations of all sizes benefit from real solutions to business challenges led by colleges and institutes. Each year, more students gain valuable work experience and skills by participating in cutting-edge research projects. Forty-two thousand students to be exact, in just one year (2019-2020). And each year, more Canadians benefit from innovation that contributes to the long-term sustainability of Canadian industry.

The college and institute innovation landscape across Canada is a best kept secret, but we need the proper resources to get the word out, and help it grow. To build stronger, more resilient communities, it is essential that we give college and institute leaders the resources they need to maximize the impact of Canada’s largest network of innovators.

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November 14, 2022

Applied research is at the centre of the 2030 Agenda for a sustainable future

In our world, it’s more important than ever that we think creatively about economic, social, and environmental challenges. Innovation is critical, yet Canada’s investment in research lags behind many of its OECD counterparts. While (in 2020) OECD countries invested an average of 2.67% of GDP on research, Canada spent just 1.84%.

Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, innovation, and infrastructure) puts research at the centre of the 2030 Agenda for a sustainable future. In fact, when we talk about applied research, in many cases we are talking about developing new, innovative products and improving existing procedures in ways that contribute to sustainability such as reducing waste, saving energy, making processes more efficient, and more.

College and institute applied research is one of Canada’s strongest motors for innovation, and is recognized as a world leader. In the college and institute context, businesses – especially SMEs and entrepreneurs that often do not have large budgets for research and development – come to their local institution with a problem. There, they get access to state-of-the-art facilities, specialized equipment, and technical experts to help them advance their business.

In real numbers, that expertise led to 8,000 total research partnerships, over 6,400 applied research projects, 5,500 new processes, products, prototypes, and services in only one year (2019-2020). Canadians benefit from these innovation services that contribute to the long-term sustainability of Canadian industry, at a growing rate each year.

At nearly 700 campus locations, college and institute expertise is not only accessible, but also adaptable to any business need. And, over 90% of colleges and institutes have applied research offices ready to support their communities and local businesses with innovative solutions.

These numbers paint a picture of what applied research already offers Canada’s innovation ecosystem and what we can still achieve if we think more strategically about investment.

To build stronger, more resilient communities, (and help rebuild the economy and the work force) it is essential that we give college and institute leaders the resources they need to maximize the impact of Canada’s largest network of innovators.

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October 31, 2022

We believe a strong network of colleges and institutes is a vital public good

Let’s get real about “recovery”! Since the start of the pandemic, society has undergone (and is still undergoing) a huge shift – and it isn’t getting any easier. Facing inflation, labour shortages, large-scale economic transformations, and a climate crisis, we need a good plan to rebuild Canada’s workforce, address inequality, and transition to a net-zero economy. Where do colleges and institutes fit into all this?

We believe a strong network of colleges and institutes is a vital public good. Colleges and institutes make learning accessible to everyone in their communities, no matter their background or circumstances. As partners in innovation, they make space for every innovator. And as skills providers, they make sure that everyone has an opportunity to find meaningful employment.

We make sure colleges and institutes see themselves in the national agenda, and that the federal government sees our members in theirs. That’s what budget season is all about. This year, we have seven recommendations to ensure decisions makers in Ottawa can tap into the expertise and maximize the potential of Canada’s largest postsecondary network.

  1. To drive business and community innovation, we recommend: Doubling the impact of the Tri-Council College and Community Innovation Program through a new $331M investment over five years, with a permanent increase of $85M per year ongoing. (SDG 9)
  2. To build a futureproof workforce, we recommend: Adopting measures to address systemic labour shortages now and into the future. (SDG 8)
    • This includes developing career road maps for key industries, re-aligning federal training and learning programs to support employment transitions, and creating permanent residency streams for international students.
  3. To build the next generation of campus infrastructure, we recommend: Creating a new Green Postsecondary Infrastructure Fund, with a minimum of $500 million a year over five years being dedicated to helping colleges achieve net zero emission campuses. (SDG 13)
  4. To support a net-zero economy, we recommend: Undertaking an inventory of critical strategic skills infrastructure to ensure that Canada has the training space available to meet the needs of key economic sectors. (SDG 8 & SDG 13)
  5. To bring the future to all communities, we recommend: Investing $100M over five years in a new network of 50 College Sustainability Centres across Canada to leverage college and institute assets including campus infrastructure, industry, and community partnerships to meet Canada’s net zero goals. (SDG 9 & SDG 13)
  6. To keep our commitment to Reconciliation, we recommend: Working with national Indigenous organizations, Indigenous institutes, colleges and universities to address ongoing barriers to postsecondary education for Indigenous peoples and to integrate land-based learning and Indigenous ways of knowing in postsecondary programs. (SDG 4 & SDG 10)
  7. To support a global future, we recommend: Increasing support to developing countries to build capacity in their skills development systems, recognizing the critical role education and skills training play in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Help share the college and institute story in Ottawa and beyond! Now is the time to reach out to your local members of parliament to share how we can maximize the impact of colleges and institutes and help make Canada futureproof.

  • Ask your partners to be vocal too! (The more of us speaking up, the more likely we are to be heard).
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October 5, 2022

Canada’s growing applied research sector is full of promise

(Originally published in The Hill Times, September 21, 2022).

By Denise Amyot, President and CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada

Few transformations in the post-secondary landscape have been as impressive as the growth of the applied research sector in colleges and institutes across Canada. With institutions taking on more and more business-driven projects aimed at solving real-world challenges at the “speed of business”, they have given rise to a national network of research centres that fill a longstanding gap in the Canadian innovation landscape. Thousands of businesses have been helped already, with huge potential for further growth.

We know Canada lags behind nearly all of its OECD peers in business-led research and development, so leveraging the strength of this network is more important than ever.

Canada’s colleges and institutes truly serve as local gateways, urban and rural, to the innovation ecosystem, developing solutions for business and community partners by mobilizing students, technology, and faculty to catalyze economic growth.

With over 95% of Canadians living within 50 kilometres of one of our institutions, their expertise is not only accessible, but also highly adapted to local needs.

According to our latest survey on applied research activity at colleges and institutes, they were involved in over 8,000 research partnerships per year, mainly with small and medium-sized enterprises (67% of partnerships), who often lack the resources, specialized technology, and networks to solve innovation challenges on their own. This led to the development of over 5,500 new processes, products, prototypes, and services – 85% of which were completed in under one year.

These projects give a serious boost to Canadian SMEs (99.8 of Canadian businesses), contributing to their competitiveness in a challenging global economy. What’s more, for most projects, SMEs retain the intellectual property resulting from these partnerships – a key for SME growth – and in recognition of this benefit, businesses’ contributions now match the federal government’s investments dollar-for-dollar.

That matching is mainly via the federal Tri-Council College and Community Innovation Program (CCIP). Established in 2004 with just $600,000 in funding and a handful of pilot institutions, today, it provides annual funding of $85 million across 117 eligible institutions. This has supported mature research enterprises that are able to deliver tremendous value to SMEs facing challenges that impede their growth. For example, Lethbridge College in Alberta worked with Bluewater Power to develop an advanced outage management system using the latest technology, including smart meters, to assist its operators and better serve its customers.

While the impact of the CCIP cannot be understated, college applied research currently accounts for just 2% of the federal government spending on higher education research and development, which is not enough to keep up with industry demand. We believe the time has come to double the CCIP with a new $330M investment over the next five years.

Given the government’s stated objective to support Canadian innovation and help with the commercialization of leading research conducted in collaboration with post-secondary education, this would be a great place to start, building on an already successful program. The unrivalled reach of colleges and institutes across Canada fosters innovation in all types of communities, whether rural, urban or remote, and supports a huge diversity of partners.

These partnerships make us all stronger, allowing for promising opportunities not only for the businesses involved, but for the many students who gain valuable experience by engaging in cutting-edge research with tangible applications. With the right kind of support, there’s no telling how far they could take us.

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October 3, 2022

Artificial Intelligence is here, and it’s growing (SDG 8 & SDG 9)

You may not think about it, but artificial intelligence impacts our lives every day. But what is AI, anyways? It’s not all robots and self-driving cars. The theories of AI and Big Data allow businesses, organizations, and government to analyze huge data sets to identify patterns, trends, and other information that can help them make better decisions.

AI is here, and it’s growing (hastened in many ways by the pandemic). In fact, the Harvard Business Review reported last year that 52% of companies accelerated their AI adoption plans because of the COVID pandemic. Eight-six percent said that AI (once considered science-fiction) was becoming a mainstream technology at their company in 2021. That represents a huge transformation in business, labour, and skills.

Did you know that colleges and institutes offer almost 50 programs in AI, Big Data, data analytics, and machine learning in a range of stackable microcredentials, diplomas, certificates, and specialized post-graduate degrees? These programs ensures that new opportunities to upgrade or reskill are available to all learners, and that the businesses can find qualified workers to meet sector demand.

  • At Cégep de Sainte-Foy, the Technical Specialization in Artificial Intelligence teaches learners to perform technical tasks related to AI like preparing and processing data, implementing an AI method, and preparing AI solutions for production. This program was developed jointly with Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne and is taught fully online by both institutions.
  • At NorQuest College, the Machine Learning Analyst diploma program focuses on fundamental skills in AI and machine learning, like data analytics and computer programming and explores strategies to develop competitive business solutions. This flexible, industry-aligned program is offered through both in-person and hyflex delivery and includes an opportunity for work-integrated learning.
  • At Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics is a post-graduate certificate that prepares students to work in data analysis and machine learning focusing on topics like cost and benefit estimation for process change and ethical issues surrounding big data.
  • The Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Suite of courses at Yukon University is an introduction to the science behind AI systems, key definitions, processes, techniques, AI ethics, and more. This series of microcredentials is offered in partnership with Ed2go and takes only 48 hours to complete!
  • At Nova Scotia Community College, Business Intelligence and Analytics prepares students to manage, mine, and filter big data and apply analytical techniques in support of critical business decision-making. This program is offered in a blended in-person and online delivery model.
  • At BCIT, Business Information Technology Management (with an option in Artificial Intelligence Management) trains workers for positions managing AI, machine learning, and business intelligence solutions. The program focuses on things like AI business models, AI ethics, machine learning for business, and natural language processing.
  • At Assiniboine Community College, four microcredentials in AI machine learning, blockchain and the cloud help students better understand the technologies shaping the way contemporary businesses operate. Each microcredential is self-paced and takes no more than six weeks to complete.

But skills are only part of our new AI landscape. There’s also huge potential for growth through innovative business solutions. Some estimates predict that AI could add almost $16 trillion to global GDP by 2030.

SDG 9 (Industry, innovation, and infrastructure) challenges us to do more to upgrade and retrofit industries to make them sustainable and foster innovation. Colleges and institutes help business and industry partners tap into the potential of new technologies through applied research and with specialized centres of excellence.

The AI landscape is changing our understanding of what is possible, and colleges and institutes are key players in that.

Read more: While the world of technology opens access and opportunity for us all, it also comes with the requirement to remain vigilant. Protecting networks, information, systems, and infrastructure is now an essential part of keeping all Canadians and Canadian businesses safe.