Developing 'Innovation Literacy' Skills

At Ryerson University's Digital Media Zone (DMZ), students and graduates can develop digitally-based ideas into consumer products with help from mentors and industry. At Centennial College, students team up with industry to develop innovative new products, including an intelligent controller for small re-newable energy systems.

Both are examples of the innovation taking place at college and university campuses across the country.

"Innovation complements invention," says DMZ associate director Hossein Rahnama. "A lot of people think invention is the equivalent to innovation. Invention is the outcome of curiosity-driven research but making it tangible and adapting it to the needs of the community and the industry-that's innovation."

Industries looking to be internationally competitive will need graduates to help them identify new ways of solving problems implementing new technologies and increasing efficiencies to enhance competitiveness, George Brown College notes in its 2010-2011 annual report.

Research Excellence Magazine

Health research in Canada has an illustrious and internationally acclaimed track record.

Why should we care?
Each one of us depends on health care that keeps us and our loved ones well, and saves or prolongs our and our loved ones’ lives. This care, on which we rely, does not spontaneously emerge. It comes from research. Today’s treatments are yesterday’s discoveries.

We cannot afford not to care.
Our health research enterprise is inventing the future of the health care on which we, our children and subsequent generations can rely. It works. Rates of illness and death caused by disease have dramatically dropped over the last 20 years. We’re living longer, and better. That’s because we’re discovering the root causes of disease, enabling the creation of better treatments and technologies.

Government Supports Community Jobs and Growth

New funding for leading-edge research to foster innovation at Centennial College

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 19, 2011) - Colleges across the country will be able to purchase tools and equipment for research projects that will improve health care, aid in forest management, provide better water testing and further the use of renewable energy. The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism) was at Centennial College today to celebrate the recipients of the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program's Innovation Enhancement (IE) Grants and Applied Research Tools and Instruments (ARTI) Grants.

"Our government is focused on completing the economic recovery. These investments will create jobs, improve the quality of life of Canadian families and strengthen the economy," said Minister of State Bernier. "By working in collaboration with colleges, local businesses gain access to new equipment and resources that help them advance innovation at the community level."

Government Supports Innovation in the GTA

Toronto, Ontario —Ten businesses will work with Centennial College to develop new technologies, help conduct research and bring ideas to market, thanks to an investment from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Today, the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism), celebrated the collaborations between Centennial College and small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Colleges Bring Market-Pull Innovation to Canada SMEs

Collaborations in applied research between Ontario (Canada) colleges and businesses are stimulating new R&D activity and spending by businesses—
and leading to actual innovations— that would not have occurred without college expertise and funding, according to a study by The Conference Board of Canada.

Moreover, the Board reports, “Ontario colleges are helping businesses and other organizations create new and improved products, services, and processes much more quickly, and with greater quality, than they otherwise would have been able to achieve without college support.” Currently, 20 out of 24 publicly funded colleges in Ontario incorporate a network of innovation centers called CONII–Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation (http://www.conii.ca). The centers provide one-stop assistance for innovators. Their unusual innovation model was described to CIMS Sponsors at their Fall 2010 meeting by Trish Dryden, AVP Research and Corporate Planning at Centennial College, one of CONII’s founding colleges.

2011 Biotechnology Lecture Series

On March 8th and 9th 2011, Centennial College presented a Biotechnology Lecture Series in collaboration with Bioscience Education Canada. This lecture series hosted a dynamic group of speakers from all areas of the biotechnology industry in Canada, as well as some nationally recognized bioscience educators, to speak about cutting-edge research and the latest breakthroughs in the field of biotechnology.

College Applies High-Tech Solutions to Health Care

Health Studies and ICT students and professors at Toronto-based Centennial College are teaming up with companies to develop new health communication technologies.

And the result is a host of innovative approaches to meeting real-world health care challenges.

Centennial's Applied Research and Innovation Centre is involved with industry on a number of projects through the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

One project involves the use of gaming technologies to help people manage chronic diseases such as diabetes. The college has partnered with NexJ Systems to develop a health-game prototype that includes an avatar represntating the individual. "The person interacts with the avatar and can see the results that would occur if they lost weight, controlled their blood sugar or exercised more," says Trish Dryden, Centennial's associate vice-president of Applied Research and Corporate Planning. "This is about using gaming to effect lifestyle change for health benefits."

Colleges Partner with Industry on Key Innovations

Canada's colleges are helping drive innovation and economic prosperity by participating in industry-driven, product development programs and applied research projects.

"Students need to be innovation-ready when they graduate, and these partnerships give them an opportunity to get experience while working on real-world problems," says Trish Dryden, associate vice-president of applied research and corporate planning at Centennial College in Toronto. "It's a very exciting and engaging way to learn the kinds of skills that make them workforce-ready."

Colleges: Hidden Gems of the Innovation Ecosystem

Excerpt from the National Post – November 8, 2010

AS GOVERNMENTS AROUND THE WORLD increasingly turn their attention to the economic returns from public investments in research, policymakers are beginning to recognize the value of colleges beyond their traditional training role.

While universities focus on basic research to discover new knowledge, colleges work on applied research problems that are user-centric and often bring immediate benefits to society. The two kinds of institutions are complementary, together helping to prepare Canadians for success in the knowledge economy. "In the spectrum of R&D, curiosity and discovery-driven basic research is generally the realm of universities." explains Nobina Robinson. The CEO of Polytechnics Canada describes the differences and complementarities between universities and colleges, and about the different roles for the research they produce. Downstream from universities, businesses frequently approach colleges to help develop aspects of new or improved products. College faculties and students respond, creating a major route for transferring technology into commercialization. "College-based applied research helps to achieve either new outcomes that bring productivity, competitiveness, new products or commercial benefits."

Ontario Colleges Stimulate Innovation

Ottawa, November 2 — Colleges in Ontario are making positive contributions to the economy, businesses and individuals by stimulating applied research and development (R&D) and accelerating much-needed innovation, according to a Conference Board of Canada study released today at the Ontario Economic Summit.

The report, Innovation Catalysts and Accelerators: The Impact of Ontario Colleges’ Applied Research, found that, in many instances, the applied research services provided by Ontario colleges’ stimulate new R&D activity and spending in businesses—which would otherwise not have occurred had the college expertise and applied research funding not been available.

Patient Safety in Emergency Medical Services

As well trained compassionate caregivers, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel often care for patients in challenging and dynamic environments. Providing healthcare services in unstable, high stress environments can lead to a real potential for risk of harm.

To better understand and begin to formally address the current patient safety issues in EMS, in 2008, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute partnered with the EMS Chiefs of Canada (EMSCC) and the Calgary EMS Foundation to fund research exploring patient safety in EMS. Through a competitive process, a research team from the University of Toronto was commissioned to develop the report, “Patient Safety in Emergency Medical Services: Advancing and Aligning the Culture of Patient Safety in EMS”.

Applied Research and Innovation

At Centennial College, applied research and innovation (ARIC) is paramount to learning in the classroom and within in the community.

ARIC seeks to build and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with community employers and industries to solve problems and meet specific goals through applied, market-driven research, development and commercialization.

One of the most beneficial relationships is between Centennial and its faculty and staff.