Innovative Projects Realized

Developing XR Solutions

Developing XR Solutions will support the research and development with ascertaining product-market fit for augmented and virtual reality edutainment applications to support children’s learning of Canadian history as well as the promotion of Indigenous-led XR projects. The internship will enable Hammer & Tong to do valuable design research which is often limited by the material constraints of the start-up ecosystem.

Grad4

Dans la dernière année, GRAD4 a été sélectionnée parmi quelques centaines d’appliquant pour faire parti du programme d’accélération du Centech. Sur la même lancée, l’entreprise a été sélectionnée parmi les 30 entreprises du programme de Propulsion et a été récipiendaire du prix de la Licorne (entreprise la plus prometteuse de la cohorte).
Depuis sa création, l’entreprise ne cesse de croître et compte aujourd’hui 20 employés dont la grande majorité travaille en programmation. GRAD4 explore actuellement la possibilité d’étendre sa solution en Ontario et aux États-Unis à court et moyen terme. Pour 2020 et 2021, l’entreprise a pour objectif d’acquérir respectivement 300 acheteurs et 150 fournisseurs ainsi que 1000 acheteurs et 350 fournisseurs. Pour ce faire, plusieurs activités sont actuellement mises de l’avant telles que la recherche de partenariats, la croissance et la constante amélioration des appels à froid du département des ventes, la création d’évènements dans l’industrie manufacturière afin d’améliorer la visibilité de l’entreprise, ainsi que le développement du marketing digital de l’entreprise.

Whitney Herrington – Emerald Spa

My day spa, successfully in business for over 13 years, has been severely impacted by the Public Health restrictions in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We were completely shuttered for 3 months and only reopened because we meet the highest safety standards of sanitation, disinfection and sterilization, follow all the WorkSafeBC protocols for social distancing, PPE, physical barriers and limiting clients and staff numbers and interactions. We have gradually returned to offering wellness services but, in spite of our precautions, employees and customers are expressing concerns about working in near proximity. Business revenues are still down considerably from pre-co-vid times.

Delineation of Soil Management Zones for Subsoiling to Mitigate Soil Compaction Effects on Soil Properties and to Optimize Crop Yield

The proposed research investigates an opportunity of monitor, measure, and model the role of carbon sequestration and emission of carbon dioxide from agricultural soils of Atlantic Canada. Precision agricultural practices will be designed to promote sustainable agriculture in Atlantic Canada.

Optimization and validation of collagen fiber manufacturing

Natural biomaterials such as cotton, wool and bamboo are common biofibres due to their accessibility and high performance characteristics in textiles. However, their strictly defined composition is severely limiting, as the materials cannot be adapted for alternative uses. Thus, producing biomaterials at an industrial scale has been an active area of research, where the goal is to create materials found in nature at a high throughput. In addressing this problem, 3D BioFibR has created a manufacturing process for various biofibres with applications in biomedical research, healthcare, aerospace engineering, and sustainability. For example, our ColiFibR is comprised of collagen, a protein responsible for the structure of our tissues, and has uses in vaccine development, drug discovery, and tissue growth. Through this project, 3D BioFibR will be able to achieve a production rate viable for commercial application, and move our technology from the lab bench into the market.

Les mécanismes de structuration des idées au sein de Hydro-Québec :Accompagner le développement d’un processus de gestion des idées

L’Institut de recherche d’Hydro-Québec (IREQ) a lancé depuis plusieurs années des actions dans le but d’assurer une organisation de la recherche performante et innovante, capable de répondre aux mutations à venir dans le secteur de l’énergie, et créatrice de valeur pour Hydro-Québec (HQ). Dans ce cadre, les équipes de l’IREQ ont développé de nombreuses idées (i) afin de rendre plus efficace et plus efficient le fonctionnement de l’activité de HQ et (ii) afin de proposer une vision ambitieuse dans des domaines d’activités nouveaux ou connexes à ceux de HQ. Ces travaux conséquents constituent aujourd’hui un réservoir important d’idées pour l’organisation qui n’est cependant pour l’instant pas structuré. Au support de sa démarche consistant à répondre aux enjeux actuels et à venir de l’organisation, l’IREQ entend concevoir une classification et un répertoriage des nombreuses idées émises à travers des outils de reconnaissance afin de pouvoir rapidement les identifier et les mettre en œuvre.

Evaluating the knowledge attitudes and perceptions of new users toward different exoskeletons

The proposed research has the following objectives: 1) Review available research on exoskeletons to better understand the technology. 2a) – Interview industry partners to identify tasks that may benefit from exoskeletons, b)– industry partners with experience using exoskeleton will be asked to give feedback on what works and what challenges occur when implementing exoskeletons. 3) With the information from the last objective, tasks will be physically replicated to test different exoskeletons on simulated tasks in a lab setting. 4) Participants will fill out survey questionnaires based on their experience and use of the exoskeletons
This research will provide an understanding of the technology of exoskeletons, that will help with the implementation of this ergonomics solution that could have a significant impact in the manufacturing industry by lowering injury risk and decreasing discomfort at work.

Axionable

Le stagiaire Développement d’affaires collaborera en direct avec le Vice-Président Canada pour opérationnaliser la stratégie 2020-2021 et permettre l’accélération du développement d’Axionable.

Workforce Planning Project

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions to the job market. Employment services organisations, including Kingston Economic Development Corporation (our partner organisation), indicate that the growth of businesses and economic activity is seriously hampered by the inability to hire qualified employees. To alleviate the mismatch between demand and supply in the labour market, it is imperative to develop the ability to (a) rapidly detect trends, such as shifting demands in specific regions or types of jobs, or new types of positions or skills, and (b) better communicate to job seekers accurate information about the skills and jobs in demand, to facilitate their rapid reskilling. The purpose of this project is to create a platform enabling the regular and rapid analysis of job demand data scraped from various online databases already in place. The platform will enable answering the following questions: What skills are employers in Kingston and Eastern Ontario looking for? What skills do the jobseekers in Kingston and Eastern Ontario have? Where can the skills be found and where are they needed? What rapid skills development opportunities are available to job seekers that will quickly align them with the needs of the job market?

Digitalisation de la fourniture des services pour la relance économique de DSI

Digitalisation de la fourniture des services pour la relance économique de DSI

Mitacs Business Strategy Internship – Haven Family Connections Inc. Accounting & Finance Support

Haven Family Connections Inc is changing its accounting and finance processes, which they believe will entail many activities for my internship. As the tasks that they listed, they will require the intern to fill out paperwork regarding changes to their processes, reconciliations, and descriptions of accounting policies. The organization will be wanting data transfer as they go from a paper filing process to digital, which will help the company prepare and present their financial information better for donors and managers.

At the end of this internship there will be a final report and presentation defining the skill enhancements and deliverables of the internship will be presented to the academic supervisor.

Intern: Finance, Admin and HR

Creating organizational policies for sustainable growth

The role of this project is to work with teams within the organization in the creation and development of internal frameworks, processes, procedures and systems. The project will cover the development and implementation of policies and procedures covering three business areas: Finance, HR and IT. As a startup that is facing rapid growth and demand of services, the development and implementation of these policies will provide a foundation for sustainable growth in the business. Furthermore, the organization will have the ability to better communicate its mission and values to its employees and external stakeholders. This will help with employee engagement and accountability and will help build transparency and trust within the organization.