Government of Canada Supports Fifteen Innovative Partnerships in Southern Ontario

Loading...
Loading...

OAKVILLE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 17, 2011) - Thanks to new partnerships with Sheridan College, fifteen businesses in southern Ontario will have an opportunity to bring innovative products to market in industries such as information and communications technology, manufacturing, and health. Today, Terence Young, Member of Parliament for Oakville, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), announced the agreements between the college and small- and medium-sized businesses.

"Our government is proud to support post-secondary institutions and small businesses in southern Ontario in their efforts to make innovation a driving force in the region's economy," said MP Young. "The partnerships between Sheridan College and fifteen businesses will lead to new ideas and products coming to the marketplace, stimulating business growth and job creation."

"Sheridan is proud to be working with industry to help drive innovation, productivity, job creation and economic growth," said Jeff Zabudsky, Ph.D. President and CEO, Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. "We believe there is an unprecedented opportunity for industry to work together with academia and government to help shape the future of Canada's economy. By supporting these development projects, we are providing the tools businesses need to succeed and expand into promising new areas."

Last year, under the Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative, Sheridan College was approved for up to $750,000 from FedDev Ontario to partner with small- and medium-sized businesses on activities such as applied research, engineering design, technology development, product testing, and certification. The support provided will create new economic opportunities, help businesses in southern Ontario grow, and enable them to become even more innovative and competitive.

For more information on the Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative and Sheridan College's partners, please refer to the backgrounder.

Created in 2009, FedDev Ontario supports the southern Ontario economy by building on the region's strengths and creating opportunities for jobs and economic growth. The Agency has launched a number of initiatives to create a Southern Ontario Advantage and place the region in a strong position to compete in the global economy. These initiatives are designed to encourage partnerships and support projects that help the region's businesses and communities become more competitive, innovative and diversified. To learn more, please visit www.feddevontario.gc.ca or call 1-866-593-5505.

Backgrounder

Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative

The Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative addresses the unique research and innovation challenges faced by small- and medium-sized enterprises by helping post-secondary institutions to provide their applied research and development (R&D) and pre-commercialization expertise to businesses that do not have the internal capacity to undertake those activities.

FedDev Ontario is providing Sheridan College with up to $750,000 to partner with the following fifteen small- and medium-sized enterprises on the following projects.

Applied Recognition Inc. (Oakville)

Applied Recognition Inc. has created Fotobounce Viewer, a free software for organizing digital photos. To remain competitive, the company needed a mobile version of the software to be compatible with the Apple operating system (iOS). The company's partnership with Sheridan College has led to the development of a prototype of the software for the iPad, which will enable further modifications for the iPod and iPhone. More information is available at www.fotobounce.com.

AVP Solutions (Mississauga)

AVP Solutions is a provider of product validation, assembly, custom packaging, quality assurance, and ancillary supply chain management services to leading automotive companies, as well as Tier I and II component manufacturers. This company is working with Sheridan College on developing a prototype automated clothing sorting line that is faster, more efficient than sorting by hand. This technology will also be used by the company to develop other sorting systems for use in other industries. More information is available at www.avpsolutions.ca.

GCM Tech Inc. (Markham)

Green Condition Monitoring Technology (GCM Tech) is an engineering group that specializes in providing advanced solutions and innovative technologies for condition monitoring of industrial equipment. The objective of GCM Tech's partnership with Sheridan College is to automatically support health monitoring and fault diagnostic systems dedicated to industrial robotic applications. The project will allow GCM Tech Inc. to identify, record and report indications of robot performance problems, and automatically adjust the mode of operation of the robot to minimize the impact of the progressing component failures. More information is available at www.gcmtech.ca.

Laffoux Solutions (Mississauga)

Laffoux Solutions is working with Sheridan's Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) to develop the prototype for the next generation Tango camera rig, which will be used in live-action stereoscopic 3D productions. The initial version of this rig has been used commercially and was also used as part of a 3D demonstration for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2010. SIRT researchers have consulted on the design of the new prototype and staff/student researchers will proceed to the next stage of the project by working alongside Laffoux staff to examine the rig's usability, effectiveness, and suggest further improvements. More information is available at www.tangohead.com.

m-Health Solutions (Burlington)

m-Health Solutions' mission is to provide fast, convenient, flexible, and simple arrhythmia monitoring and cardiac diagnosis solutions to physicians and patients. This company is partnering with Sheridan College to deliver a Blackberry (OS4.6 +) based product providing two-way messaging solutions for users currently engaged in 'ECG' monitoring. More information is available at
www.m-healthsolutions.com.

Olson Foods Concepts (Niagara)

Celebrity chef Anna Olson is working with Sheridan College to develop food targeted for the older adult market. This includes developing three base recipe blends (sweet, lunch/dinner entree and breakfast) in affordable, easy-to-make and nutritious servings for purchase in retail stores or in bulk by long-term care and retirement service home providers. More information is available at www.annaolson.ca.

PharmaTrust (Oakville)

PharmaTrust(TM) is the developer of the MedCentre(TM) integrated dispensing and medication management system, which is designed for use in hospitals, pharmacies, medical clinics and provides patients access to prescription drugs. The company is working with Sheridan College to review existing prototypes of the Pharmatrust(TM) kiosk and report on usability issues, identify areas of improvement, and develop conceptual prototypes for the next generation user interfaces. More information is available at www.pharmatrust.com.

Pipeline Studios (Hamilton)

Pipeline Studios Inc., a member of the Computer Animation Studios of Ontario (CASO), is working with SIRT researchers on a stereoscopic 3D animation project. The project will involve investigation of best practices for development and production of a stereoscopic 3D animation short. At this stage in the project, SIRT is developing pre-visualization tools (including a 3D Virtual Camera controller) that will provide real-time interactive stereoscopic viewing in Autodesk's MotionBuilder, helping 3D animators better plan shots. More information is available at www.pipelinestudios.com.

Pivot Design Group (Toronto)

Pivot was launched in 1998 to help organizations deliver meaningful experiences for people in real world contexts. Its process is grounded in user behaviour research, communications audits, scenario development, visualization and stakeholder interviews. The company is working with Sheridan College to develop a prototype on-line collaboration tool to demonstrate the advantages of an application that will enable groups to design or plan in a highly interactive on-line environment. More information is available at www.pivotdesigngroup.com.

Promation Nuclear (Oakville)

Promation Nuclear develops technology for nuclear customers to support plant life management, extend plant design life, reduce maintenance costs and develop cost-effective solutions to existing challenges. The company has developed a wide range of solutions, including specialty equipment and automated tooling for reactor refurbishment, fuel handling systems and also large scale mock-ups and test rigs. The company is working with Sheridan College on a new assessment and measuring tool to identify, evaluate and implement opportunities for cost-savings and improved productivity at the company's advanced manufacturing facility in Oakville. More information is available at www.promationnuclear.com.

R. E. Morrison Equipment (Mississauga)

R. E. Morrison is an industrial distributor of vacuum equipment and parts in Canada. The company is working with Sheridan College to develop a new dental vacuum system that features dry suction without consuming water. The project involves redesign, prototype development and concept validation on an existing dental vacuum system. More information is available at www.remequip.com.

Results by Design (Orangeville)

Results by Design's mission is to work with clients to determine the right image and define the most effective marketing message that will attract business. The company provides customized on-demand or complete graphics, printing and web services. It is working with Sheridan College on a new training product, which includes the development of logos, website, design, brochures, and other collateral materials. More information is available at www.resultsbydesignink.ca.

Spatial View (Toronto)

Spatial View is a leading developer of 3D image processing and display technologies that allow users to view 3D content in high quality on a variety of platforms without the need for 3D glasses.

The company is working with Sheridan College to develop a robust real-time, human head and eye gaze tracking engine to run on Android devices and an API (Application Programming Interface) to integrate with Spatial View 3DeeCentral applications to overcome the limited optimal viewing position for glasses-free 3D. More information is available at www.spatialview.com.

SOS First Aid and Safety Training (Oakville)

SOS First Aid and Safety Training is a company that offers first aid training to the general public and workplaces. Instructors are highly trained in the healthcare and first responder field and use a variety of hand-on training techniques. The company worked with Sheridan College to develop interactive digital learning modules to be used by the instructors as an additional tool in the delivery of first aid and injury prevention training. More information is available at www.sosfirstaid.ca.

Yfactor (Toronto)

Yfactor Inc. provides content management systems, hosting, consulting and e-commerce solutions to business and non-profit organizations. The company is working with Sheridan College to develop a mobile software application for iPhone and Blackberry devices to connect to web services provided by YFactor. More information is available at www.yfactor.com.

Loading...
Loading...
Posted In: Press Releases
Benzinga simplifies the market for smarter investing

Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.

Join Now: Free!

Loading...