Trojan Technologies benefits from over 100 Mitacs internships
Supported by Mitacs, the partnership between Trojan Technologies and Western University has grown considerably over the last four years. Since 2010, Trojan has invested a significant portion of its research budget to hire Mitacs interns, an amount that has been more than matched through Mitacs funding for a total of $1.5 million in R&D spending.
Currently, the company is building a three-year research program that will further expand their collaborations to include research on opaque fluids, as well as UV treatment of ballast water, waste water, and drinking water.
“By tapping into the expertise of the researchers, we gain valuable in-house skills and knowledge that we wouldn’t have otherwise,” says Ted Mao, Vice-President, Research at Trojan.
Adding academic researchers to our team gives us the critical mass we need to accelerate research, and the same time, our interns get opportunities to solve real-world problems, providing them with the industry experience required to launch successful careers.”
Dr. Wenjun Sun, a former Mitacs Elevate postdoctoral fellow and now a member of Trojan’s research staff, helped determine the appropriate UV wavelength required to effectively treat viruses that may be present in drinking water. Left untreated, viruses can cause gastrointestinal illness, flu-like symptoms, pneumonia or other non-specific febrile illnesses.
As Mao explains, the contributions made by students are significant because they help lead products to commercialization. Dr. Ankit Patras, a former Mitacs Accelerate intern, applied his knowledge of food chemistry to determine whether UV technology can be used to achieve milk pasteurization without affecting its taste or nutrient value. “Ankit’s research focused on determining whether our technology could be applied in new application areas. Normally we would not be able to hire a scientist specializing in food chemistry until we had a proven business case” says Mao.
Mitacs thanks the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario for their support of the Accelerate research internship in this story. Across Canada, the Accelerate program also receives support from Alberta Innovates, the Government of British Columbia, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan and Research Manitoba.
Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: BD@mitacs.ca
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