On April 7^th representatives from industry and the academic realm met in Mississauga to talk about research collaborations. 

Industry representatives and professors were matched up by MITACS and NSERC to have 10-15 minute conversations about themselves and their research projects. The “speed-dating” portion of the event, as it is coined by some MITACS members, gave people the opportunity to network as well as sign up for one-on-one sessions with each other.

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“The newly formed partnership between the NSERC and MITACS Ontario Regional Offices has gotten off to a great start with our first joint MITACS/NSERC-Ontario university-industry networking event held in Mississauga on April 7th.  By all accounts, our inaugural joint networking event was a tremendous success,” says Dr. Tibor Turi of NSERC. “The event attracted researchers from several universities, as well as company representatives from across the GTA and beyond who are actively interested in establishing new research partnerships.”

Participants were given also given overviews of the NSERC Engage Grants Program and MITACS Accelerate. Dr. Matt Goledzinowski from Alcohol Countermeasure Systems Corp (ACS Corp) and Dr. Ralph C. Shiell of Trent University also presented on their successful research collaboration through a MITACS Accelerate internship. The internship looked into designing and constructing a new generation of all-optical breath alcohol sensors. ACS Corp has been a leading manufacturer of alcohol sensing instruments for more than 20 years, with a very active industrially-related research program.

"The speed dating event presented a great opportunity for academic researchers and industry to meet and network on a one-on-one basis," says Dr. Goldie Nejat from the University of Toronto. "I found the event to be very helpful in kick starting new academia-industry collaborations."

“Researchers and business representatives both appreciated the convenience of having both funding organizations present to address questions and give advice.  The natural synergies between MITACS and NSERC and our complementary mandates form a solid basis for further cooperation throughout Ontario,” says Dr. Turi. “NSERC-Ontario is looking forward to continuing the promotion of university-industry collaborations with MITACS through many more successful events to come.”

“We heard some great feedback from people who attended the event,” says Dr. Alexandra Reid, Director of Business Development at MITACS. “We’re very excited to have another event with NSERC.”

About NSERC Engage Grants Program

The NSERC Engage Grants Program is intended to foster the development of new research partnerships between academic researchers and companies that have never collaborated together before. The program provides up to $25,000 of financial support for short-term research and development projects aimed at addressing a company specific problem.  Engage is part of NSERC’s new Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation which is designed to accelerate innovation by helping R&D performing companies, particularly SMEs, tap into Canada’s tremendous base of post-secondary research resources and talent. For more information, go to http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Professors-Professeurs/RPP-PP/Engage-Engagement_eng.asp. 

MITACS Accelerate Program

The MITACS Accelerate program is a national internship program which connects companies and other organizations with the vast research expertise in Canada’s universities from applied sciences, engineering, social sciences and business to arts, life sciences and much more. For more info, click here.