Innovative Projects Realized

TRULP-Spiritual power of vegetable plants as healing medicine (manitowi-kischihtowin nawach kayas nistamihowin iskwayihk)

Many Northern and Indigenous communities in Canada face significant health challenges, including high rates of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. These conditions are often worsened by limited access to fresh, nutritious foods. This project seeks to address these issues by developing a functional food prototype made from nutrient-dense vegetables-such as broccoli microgreens-cultivated using advanced smart vertical farming technology.
In close collaboration with the Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN) in Manitoba, we are co-developing a culturally appropriate, health-promoting food product that supports both community wellness and local food sovereignty. Our preliminary research has shown that broccoli microgreens grown under optimized smart farming conditions contain significantly higher levels of beneficial bioactive compounds compared to conventionally grown vegetables.
Over the coming months, we will focus on refining the food prototypes and evaluating their nutritional and functional qualities. In parallel, we will explore strategies to integrate Indigenous knowledge and preferences into product development, ensuring cultural relevance and community alignment. We will also assess the market potential of these products through various distribution and commercialization pathways.
By combining cutting-edge science, sustainable agriculture, and community-led innovation, this project offers a novel approach to combating chronic diseases through food-based, preventative solutions. Ultimately, it aims to foster healthier, more resilient, and self-sufficient communities across Canada, while serving as a model for inclusive and sustainable food innovation.

Cooperative Integrated Navigation Systems for GNSS-Challenging Environments

Connected Cars is an emerging technology that aims at enhancing driving experience and improving safety, productivity, and integrity of transportation systems. Intelligent Mechatronic Systems Inc. (IMS) is a leader in telematics and infotainment technologies, including the convergence of both technologies in delivering the ultimate connected car experience. One of the core components in connected cars environment is an accurate and robust positioning system that can work in all environments. Current location technology is dominant by the popular Global Positioning System (GPS). However, GPS accuracy and availability are severely degraded in urban canyons and downtown areas due to high buildings and narrow streets. The proposed project aims at enhancing the infrastructure of IMS by developing a cooperative integrated navigation solution that improves accuracy and availability of navigation service in challenging environments such as urban canyons. The developed navigation system will reflect on the quality and efficiency of all IMS products.

L2M Validation / Qc Automne 2025 / Utilisation de la Robotique Autonome et de l’IA Multimodale pour la Surveillance de la Santé et des Émotions des Vaches Laitières

Le Québec compte environ 4?333 fermes laitières, produisant près de 3,5 milliards de litres de lait par an avec 361?000 vaches. Cette industrie représente près de 37?% de la production laitière canadienne, mais elle est confrontée à un défi de taille : l’absence d’outils technologiques intelligents, mobiles et autonomes pour surveiller en continu la santé et le bien-être émotionnel du troupeau.

Aujourd’hui, la détection des maladies (comme la mammite) repose principalement sur l’observation humaine, souvent ponctuelle, subjective et tardive. Cette approche engendre des pertes économiques allant jusqu’à 66?000?$/an pour un troupeau de 100 vaches touché par la mammite et compromet la qualité du lait. Par ailleurs, le Canada fait face à un ralentissement de sa productivité, exacerbé par le vieillissement de la main-d’œuvre agricole. Il est donc urgent d’innover pour améliorer la performance et la durabilité du secteur.

Ce projet vise à développer une solution robotisée basée sur l’intelligence artificielle multimodale capable de détecter automatiquement les signes de maladies et de stress émotionnel chez les vaches. Grâce à des capteurs intégrés et à une vision par ordinateur, le robot assurera une surveillance continue et non intrusive du troupeau, permettant une détection précoce et des interventions rapides.

Les retombées pour le Québec et le Canada sont multiples :

1. Amélioration du bien-être animal et de la qualité du lait ;
2. Réduction des pertes économiques dans les fermes ;
3. Accélération de la transition numérique du secteur agricole ;
4. Valorisation de l’innovation universitaire canadienne, avec une commercialisation prévue auprès des producteurs laitiers à travers le Programme Étudiant des Producteurs Laitiers du Canada.

Ce projet contribuera à positionner le Québec, et aussi le Canada, comme un chef de file en agriculture intelligente et durable.

TRLUP AI food therapist

Project Title:
AI-Powered Food Therapist for Health Monitoring and Dietary Therapy

Project Description:
This project is an innovative AI-powered health application designed to empower users to monitor their health through medical image analysis and receive personalized food therapy recommendations. Users can upload medical images—such as photos of their tongue, skin, eyes, or other relevant diagnostic visuals—through a user-friendly mobile interface. The system leverages advanced computer vision and machine learning models to analyze these images and detect potential health issues or imbalances.

Based on the AI-driven diagnosis, the application provides targeted suggestions for food therapy rooted in evidence-based nutrition science and traditional holistic approaches (e.g., Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, or naturopathy, depending on configuration). The goal is to offer natural, food-based remedies that can support healing and improve overall wellness.

Core Features:
Medical Image Upload: Users can easily capture and upload images using their smartphones.

AI-Based Image Analysis: Deep learning models analyze images to identify potential health concerns or signs of imbalance.

Personalized Food Therapy: Based on the diagnosis, the app recommends foods, ingredients, and meal plans aimed at aiding recovery and supporting long-term health.

Self-Monitoring Dashboard: Users can track changes over time through image comparisons and health trend analytics.

Real-Time Feedback: Integrated with cloud functions for fast processing and real-time result delivery.

Target Users:
Individuals interested in proactive, natural approaches to health and wellness.

People managing chronic conditions who want complementary, food-based support.

Health-conscious users seeking personalized nutrition advice based on physical symptoms.

TRLUP– Towards Net-Zero Emissions: Catalyzing Low-Cost Green Hydrogen

Green hydrogen is a cornerstone of the global clean energy transition, offering a zero-emission alternative to fossil fuels for sectors like heavy industry and transport. However, its adoption remains limited due to high production costs—typically $4–6 per kilogram compared to $1–2 for fossil-based hydrogen. Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water using an electrolyzer powered by renewable electricity. Within these systems, electrodes are the core components where hydrogen is generated.
A major contributor to the high cost is the use of scarce, expensive materials like iridium, along with complex, multi-step electrode fabrication processes that are difficult to scale. These challenges drive up both capital (CAPEX) and operational (OPEX) costs, limiting large-scale deployment.
Our innovation addresses these barriers through a scalable, low-cost, two-step method that produces 3D micro/nano-structured nickel-based electrodes using abundant materials. The engineered architecture significantly boosts catalytic efficiency, reduces energy use by up to 40%, and cuts CAPEX and OPEX by at least 20%, making green hydrogen more affordable and commercially viable.
Our prototype has already been validated under semi-pilot lab conditions using advanced testing methods, confirming its superior performance and durability compared to commercial benchmarks.
This Technology Readiness Level-Up (TRL^) program will focus on developing a minimum viable product (MVP) by scaling the electrode size and integrating it into small-scale electrolyzer cells that simulate real industrial environments. These full-cell tests, conducted at CNETE’s research facilities, will assess system compatibility, durability, and reproducibility under continuous operation.
We will also engage with industry collaborators like Thyssenkrupp Nucera to gather performance feedback, guide integration planning, and define a commercialization roadmap. The project will advance the technology’s readiness level and accelerate its path toward market adoption, supporting Canada’s leadership in clean hydrogen innovation.

TRLUP – NeuroSpritz

Electroencephalogram (EEG) setup and application are time consuming (current solutions involve ~50.3 minutes of setup/patient or participant) and requires expert application (making it inaccessible to many). The extensive time to setup EEGs limits the number of research participants and patients that a researcher or clinician can see in one day. This problem directly impacts research teams and clinicians as gatekeepers, and more generally affects those with neurological conditions who require an EEG. This time-consuming application leads to an EEG diagnostic wait time of greater than 6 months in 73% of Ontario clinics. The proposed solution is a refillable spray bottle which dispenses up to 19 disposable, wireless, floating microelectrodes onto a user’s head in the 10-20 system. Each electrode is carried through one channel, which sprays compressed air onto the patient’s scalp, followed by a high precision spray of conductive saline “hairspray” with the microelectrode. The process is completed with a spray of compressed air from an outer nozzle which rearranges hair to cover the wireless microelectrode(s). The dynamic nozzles adjust their trajectories using a flexure actuator system. The device is designed to save clinicians and researchers >30 minutes/participant, and increasing access to EEGs for pediatric and geriatric patients.

An investigation of the use of collaborative and adaptive root cause analysis (CARCA) technique in a professional health, safety, and environment training program

The proposed research aims to test the relative merits of the “collaborative and adaptive root cause analysis” (CARCA) technique. Through this technique, the aim is to enhance Health, Safety, and Environment employers’ appreciation of complex events and phenomena associated with operational incidents, contributing to their professional development as joint thinkers. Various incident-based scenarios will be used to prompt participants to make inquiry, and collaboratively identify the multiple root causes that contributed to the make-up of those incidents. The technique will be used to improve the partner company’s health, safety, and environment (HSE) field’s incident investigation training package.

TRL 3 -AeroGel based composites

This project is developing innovative composite materials using advanced AeroGel technology for use in the construction industry. These materials are designed to be lightweight, highly insulating, fire-resistant, and durable, making them ideal for improving energy efficiency and safety in buildings. The proposed project will help the partner organization explore how these cutting-edge materials can be integrated into modern construction, offering potential benefits like reduced energy costs, improved building performance, and enhanced sustainability.

TRLUP – Spheralis Biolabs : Mise à l’échelle de composés PC

Le projet vise à optimiser la production d’un nouvel antibiotique conçu pour traiter les infections du pis chez les vaches, causées par Staphylococcus aureus. Ces infections coûtent très cher à l’industrie laitière et les traitements actuels sont souvent inefficaces ou contrôlés en médecine vétérinaire. Le stagiaire travaillera avec le centre de recherche appliquée Kemitek pour adapter le procédé de fabrication à une échelle plus grande, tout en respectant les principes de chimie verte. Il développera aussi des méthodes d’analyse pour s’assurer de la qualité du produit. Ce projet permettra à l’entreprise partenaire, Spheralis Biolabs, de franchir une étape importante vers les essais précliniques et, à plus long terme, de proposer une solution efficace, sécuritaire et durable pour les producteurs laitiers.

TRLUP – Développement avancé d’un outil électromécanique innovant pour la réfection de toitures

Développement avancé d’un outil électromécanique innovant pour la réfection de toitures

TRLUP – Développement et validation du flacon digital pour l’optimisation de réactions organiques simples

Le projet vise le développement du flacon digital, c’est-à-dire une approche de simulation numérique qui permet d’étudier des réactions chimiques et de prédire les produits qui seront observés en laboratoire. Le flacon digital fournit une vision moléculaire des différentes réactions chimiques possibles, ce qui est autrement impossible à obtenir directement. Une première application de celui-ci est la planification de réactions chimiques ainsi que l’optimisation des conditions utilisées (réactifs, températures, solvant) pour obtenir le produit désiré avec un rendement maximal et une pureté maximale.

What is the Social Return on Investment in Affordable Housing? A Case Study of the Community Renewal Corporation’s Affordable Housing Program

The University of Winnipeg Community Renewal Corporation 2.0 (UWCRC2.0) develops real estate and provides project management services to non-profit organizations. UWCRC2.0 is currently developing a number of affordable housing projects in downtown Winnipeg. The current project will bring together UWCRC2.0 staff with researchers in the Department of Economics at the University of Winnipeg to calculate the social return to investment (SROI) in affordable housing by UWCRC2.0. This analysis will highlight the social, economic and environmental benefits of UWCRC2.0 housing per dollar invested in such housing. This analysis is important because a strictly financial analysis may miss potentially significant non-market benefits of affordable housing. It will provide valuable information for UWCRC2.0 and potentially other community renewal corporations across Canada. It will also provide a valuable contribution to the academic literature both in terms of methodology – discovering financial proxies for Canadian non-market benefits – and in terms of its overall findings for the Manitoba context.