Innovative Projects Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

31620 Completed Projects

2978
AB
5221
BC
856
MB
696
NL
899
SK
9419
ON
9858
QC
98
PE
619
NB
1192
NS

Projects by Category

Supporting adolescent athletes through a team building and mental health program

Canadian adolescent athletes suffer many mental health challenges such as hyper competitiveness and a culture of silence which often precludes individuals from discussing mental health issues. These challenges have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Team Unbreakable (the partner organization) have run a highly successful physical activity and mental health program which is implemented through local school boards. The current project will adapt this program by integrating a team building module which will be implemented through coaches of community sport programs. Team building is a highly effective strategy to increase social connectedness in adolescents, which is a vital component of mental health. Further implementing the program through sport coaches offers a promising approach as coaches are influential role models to young athletes and are likely to increase the effectiveness of the program. The current project will also develop a range of online resources which can help sport coaches, administrators, and athletes discuss, understand, and support individuals with mental health issues. Overall, this project will help reduce the prevalence and severity of mental health issues in young athletes and contribute to the de-stigmatization of mental health issues in Canadian sport.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Catherine Sabiston

Student:

Partner:

Team Unbreakable

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Inclusion scolaire : le rôle de la recherche dans la conception de l’action publique, la formation et la pratique des professionnels de l’éducation

Dans de nombreux pays, l’inclusion scolaire est devenue un enjeu politique majeur pour renforcer l’égalité d’accès aux savoirs. L’intention politique, accompagnée par les apports de la recherche dans ce domaine de l’inclusion scolaire, s’est concrétisée par des réformes favorisant l’adaptation aux besoins éducatifs particuliers des élèves.
Dans deux contextes, la Suisse et le Québec, ce projet a pour objectif général de confronter et d’analyser de manière croisée, trois niveaux de retraduction et de mise en œuvre de l’école inclusive : dans les politiques éducatives (à travers les lois et l’encadrement), dans la professionnalisation des formations des enseignants, dans l’organisation et la division du travail au sein des établissements scolaires. De plus, il vise à questionner la place et les apports de la recherche en éducation dans ces trois niveaux de retraduction.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Bernard Wentzel

Student:

Partner:

University of Geneva

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

Université Laval

Program:

Globalink Research Award

CuO/ZnO electro-catalysts for CO2 electro-reduction.

Electrochemical carbon dioxide recycling offers an attractive approach to the synthesis of fuels and chemical feedstocks using renewable energy. However, fundamental and applied science hurdles remain on the path to the deployment of this technology. Integrating catalytic design and mechanistic understanding will lead to scientific insights and advance the technology towards industrial relevance. Catalysts must produce valuable carbon-based products with better selectivity, lower overpotentials, and improved current densities with long-time testing. In this project proposal, effort will be placed on the electrode optimization of CuO/ZnO composite oxides, which will be designed in different morphologies and compositions. Testing the catalysts in flow-cell to investigate the influence of active sites, morphology, and composition on the CO and C+2 products.
The expected outcome of the project is that the different morphologies of ZnO/CuO lead to different selectivity and efficiency during CO2 electrolysis. In addition, the fabrication of the electrode using different additives and techniques will allow us to understand the effects on the stability and efficiency of the electrode for long testing.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Cao Thang Dinh

Student:

Partner:

Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

Queen's University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Ayazazi

AYAZAZI (meaning ‘Knowing Themselves’ in Zulu) was a CIHR funded youth-centred, multi-site, interdisciplinary, prospective cohort study focused on HIV prevention among 425 adolescents and young adults (aged 16-24 years) residing in Soweto and Durban, who reported HIV-negative or unknown status at enrolment. AYAZAZI is guided by a youth engagement framework, which prioritizes youth-friendly spaces and opportunities for young people to be meaningfully involved throughout the research process. Currently, there 12-18 months of follow-up data among AYAZAZI participants, including questionnaire data on socio-demographics, health service use, SRHR, mental health, substance use, and use of technology, clinical data including HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and biological data which includes markers of inflammation. Our team is currently collecting qualitative data to explore youth’s perceptions of a scale (the sexual relationship power scale) that was included at 6, 12, & 18 (Soweto only) months. We have also recently submitted a project grant to determine the social determinants of health that contribute directly or indirectly to immune activation and chronic inflammation among the 253 young women who participated in the AYAZAZI study.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Angela Kaida

Student:

Partner:

University of the Witwatersrand

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

An examination of the sex-specific psychophysiological markers of risk for physical and mental health problems across modes of cannabis use

The interns for this proposed project will work under the supervision of Dr. Thompson to extend our understanding of the health risks associated with different modes of administration and investigate sex and gender differences in cannabis use, practices, effects, and outcomes. Identifying indicators of negative health outcomes is an important step in developing effective cannabis prevention and intervention practices and policies. Through engagement with the partner organization (CCSA), the interns will develop skills and expertise in knowledge synthesis, written and verbal communication, and meaningful engagement with stakeholders. CCSA will benefit by obtaining new knowledge concerning the health and social impacts of cannabis on young people. The evidence generated from this research will support CCSA in their efforts to strengthen the development of policies, programs and practices that will optimize a public health approach to non-medical cannabis use, as well as inform the legislated three-year review of the Cannabis Act.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Kara Thompson

Student:

Partner:

Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

St. Francis Xavier University

Program:

Accelerate

No (or low) biocide antifouling coatings for aquaculture

Biofouling is the process where marine organisms adhere to surfaces used in aquaculture and marine applications, such as tanks, netting, plumbing, and hull surfaces. The additional weight and drag on surfaces and narrowing of openings in netting or plumbing strongly affect energy costs and efficiency of operations. Conventional anti-biofouling coatings contain tin or copper, which are ecologically damaging and are or will likely be regulated in these applications. The intern, in cooperation with Kavacha, will evaluate coating materials that contain no or low amounts of biocides, but will rather rely on physical properties, such as surface energy and the generation of micro- and nanostructures to retard biofouling processes. The coatings will be evaluated for their efficiency and potential ecotoxicity using methods developed by the intern and university partner for Kavacha, the industrial partner, as part of their product development process.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ken Oakes;Martin Mkandawire;Xu Zhang

Student:

Partner:

Kavacha

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Cape Breton University

Program:

Accelerate

Segmentation automatique de dents à partir des scans oraux

L’automatisation des tâches de fabrication dans les laboratoires de prothèses dentaires revêt un intérêt considérable, à la fois pour les techniciens et pour les patients. En effet, une partie importante du travail consiste en des tâches répétitives, longues et qui exigent un effort de concentration et de minutie soutenu. Par conséquent, il existe une grande variabilité dans la qualité de la production des laboratoires et l’automatisation par l’intelligence artificielle (IA) constitue une solution prometteuse à cet égard. Dans le présent projet, les étudiants stagiaires auront pour tâche de constituer un jeu de données servant à entraîner un modèle d’IA pour le traitement automatique de scans oraux servant à la conception de pièces en laboratoire dentaire. Le premier objectif de leur travail sera d’étiqueter chaque dent d’un ensemble de scans de patients de sorte à entraîner un modèle à étiqueter automatiquement les dents à partir de scans. Par la suite, le second objectif consistera à segmenter manuellement des scans pour extraire l’anatomie de chaque dent, de sorte à entraîner un modèle à réaliser la segmentation automatique des dents, étape préliminaire à la conception automatique de dents, soit dans le cadre de la production de couronnes dentaires ou d’implants.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Émilie Brulé

Student:

Partner:

JACOBB;KerenOr

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Cégep Édouard-Montpetit

Program:

Accelerate

Stress Monitoring in Potash Mines

Mining induced stress in the area around tunnel openings represents a major design consideration in today’s potash mines. The actual induced stress is currently monitored using an array of techniques derived from the hard rock mining industry, one of the key assumptions being linear-elastic deformation behaviour of the rock. When using these methods in an evaporite like potash, issues can arise with the accuracy of these assumptions. The purpose and objective of this research is to assess the accuracy of current standard practice for stress monitoring, and ultimately recommend test an improved procedure. Improved accuracy will lead to better stress models for mining activity in soft rocks, allowing for more proactive engineering controls to be implemented at lower cost than reactive methods.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Douglas Milne;David Elwood

Student:

Partner:

Nutrien

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Agriculture; Mining

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program:

Accelerate

Development of a specific targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma – Year two

The global burden of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing as it has become the second leading cause of cancer-related
deaths and the fifth most common cancer worldwide. HCC is heterogenous, arising in the setting of various chronic liver diseases
such as hepatitis C, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. Patients with cirrhosis who develop cancer cannot tolerate therapy
due to inadequate liver function. We hypothesize that PorphyHDL, a carrier that behaves like a lipoprotein (fat transporter), will
effectively deliver a small interfering RNA targeting spalt-like transcription factor 4 (SALL4), a fetal oncoprotein expressed in
aggressive HCCs. We will partner with Highland Therapeutics Inc., which has designed a novel oral drug delivery technology known
as DELEXIS® and has successfully commercialized a DELEXIS methylphenidate formulation in the US. Our partner will utilize this
technology, which precisely controls time of release and rate of release of an active ingredient, to design a DELEXIS-PorphyHDLSALL4 formulation. This formulation will be targeted to specific regions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to facilitate uptake into the
hepatic portal vein, with the aim of delivering drug directly to HCC tumors and avoiding side effects associated with systemic
circulation.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Mamatha Bhat

Student:

Partner:

Ironshore Pharmaceuticals

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Nanotechnology; Pharmaceuticals

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Development of a specific targeted therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

The global burden of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is increasing as it has become the second leading cause of cancer-related
deaths and the fifth most common cancer worldwide. HCC is heterogenous, arising in the setting of various chronic liver diseases
such as hepatitis C, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. Patients with cirrhosis who develop cancer cannot tolerate therapy
due to inadequate liver function. We hypothesize that PorphyHDL, a carrier that behaves like a lipoprotein (fat transporter), will
effectively deliver a small interfering RNA targeting spalt-like transcription factor 4 (SALL4), a fetal oncoprotein expressed in
aggressive HCCs. We will partner with Highland Therapeutics Inc., which has designed a novel oral drug delivery technology known
as DELEXIS® and has successfully commercialized a DELEXIS methylphenidate formulation in the US. Our partner will utilize this
technology, which precisely controls time of release and rate of release of an active ingredient, to design a DELEXIS-PorphyHDLSALL4 formulation. This formulation will be targeted to specific regions of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to facilitate uptake into the
hepatic portal vein, with the aim of delivering drug directly to HCC tumors and avoiding side effects associated with systemic
circulation.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Mamatha Bhat

Student:

Partner:

Ironshore Pharmaceuticals

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Synthesis and modeling of stimuli-responsive polymers for fracturing fluids use

Currently, the global warming alerts, oil prices fluctuations and clean energy have paved the way of investing in the producing wells by enhancing the recovery of hydrocarbons compared to exploration wells. Applying hydraulic fracturing from injected fluids is most common method used. These fluids create cracks in the bedrock and push the hydrocarbons to the surface. The well usually have harsh conditions of high temperatures up to 200 °C and a variant pH between 3-11 which cause challenges to the injected fluids. Our aim is to develop a new type of polymer from a green polymerization initiation technique to produce a recyclable viscosifying agent that can create a well transporting of the recovered hydrocarbons. In addition to the experimental work, a mathematical model will be developed based on the polymerization mechanism to establish a robust polymer system that can change its viscosity based on a stimulus. The mathematical model will be able to simulate the viscosity of the product under the disturbance conditions of these wells. The product will be more economical than current polymers used, inherently safer due to green reactants materials involved in the reaction and allow fast and efficient removal of the polymer.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Thomas Duever

Student:

Partner:

PolyAnalytik Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program:

Elevate

Ensuring Stability and Accuracy of Multi-rate Electromagnetic Transient Simulation

Real-time digital power system simulators are used for testing and debugging control equipment intended for field installation. They simulate the power network in ‘real-time’, i.e., the simulation computations are rapidly completed so as to retain synchronism with a real-world clock. This requires the level of complexity in different components of the network to be judiciously selected so that the computation speed-up does not significantly compromise accuracy. Multi-rate simulation is a widely used approach to achieve this. It partitions the network into interconnected smaller sub-networks, and simulates critical sub-networks using a smaller timestep with larger timesteps for the others. As methods for stability and accuracy analysis for this method have hitherto not been investigated, this Mitacs project will extend the state of the art in simulation stability to investigate the stability of multi-rate simulation of power networks.
With the lessons learned, it will venture to develop a more robust interfacing technique for interconnecting the sub-networks in Multi-rate simulation. RTDS Technologies is expected to use this to enhance the quality of their commercial simulation products.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Aniruddha (Ani) Gole

Student:

Partner:

RTDS Technologies

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Manitoba

Program:

Elevate

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Mitacs — Return on Innovation

Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.