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

Pathfinder & AI Language Tutors: Smart Tools for Canadian PR Success

The proposed research project will focus on developing and improving an AI-powered tutoring app designed to help prospective immigrants enhance their language skills for permanent residency applications. Interns will refine the app’s features, including personalized lessons, real-time feedback, and exam simulations for IELTS and CELPIP. This project benefits the partner organization by offering an effective, technology-driven solution to language barriers, increasing applicants’ chances of meeting language requirements. By integrating AI-driven tutoring, the organization can provide a structured and accessible learning tool for users.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Shaimaa Ali

Student:

Partner:

PR Coach Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of Western Ontario

Program:

Business Strategy Internship

Building Capacity for Patient-Oriented Research in Nephrology: A Digital Approach to Overcoming Barriers

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) affects about 1 in 10 people in British Columbia, placing a significant strain on the healthcare system. Patient-oriented research (POR) helps improve health outcomes by involving people with lived experience as active partners in research. However, many researchers face challenges to training, making it difficult to adopt POR.
This project, in partnership with Providence Health Care and the BC Kidney Research Unit (BCKRU), explores how digital tools can help researchers overcome these barriers. By developing an online capacity-building hub with training modules, mentorship opportunities, and shared resources, we aim to support early-career researchers in integrating POR into their work. Through interviews and surveys with early career researchers affiliated with Providence Health Care, we will assess the effectiveness of digital tools in enhancing POR engagement. The findings will provide insights on how technology can make POR more accessible and sustainable in kidney health research.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Vincent Laliberte

Student:

Partner:

Providence Health Care

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McGill University

Program:

Accelerate

Human-Coyote Interactions in Liberty Village

This project will explore the increase in coyote sightings and incidents in Liberty Village, Toronto. By analyzing data from community reports and speaking with residents and wildlife experts, the team will identify patterns and reasons behind human-coyote conflicts. The goal is to help the City of Toronto understand why these interactions are happening and to suggest ways to reduce them. The project will also include Indigenous perspectives to ensure informed recommendations. This work will support the City’s efforts to improve public safety, raise awareness, and promote peaceful coexistence between people, pets, and coyotes in urban spaces.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Fatih Sekercioglu;Lubna Badri Mohammed

Student:

Partner:

City of Toronto

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Public administration; Utilities

University:

Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning; Toronto Metropolitan University

Program:

Business Strategy Internship

Safe travels: Regional coordination of community-based weather, water, and ice monitoring for community travel safety in Iqaluit and Pond Inlet, Nunavut

Across Inuit Nunangat (Inuit homelands in Canada), Inuit have been travelling on the land, water, and ice since time immemorial to hunt, fish, gather, and access other communities. Inuit knowledge (IK) is learned through oral history and personal experience to understand when and how to travel on the land. However, Inuit travel safety is threatened as the Arctic warms rapidly, resulting in greater unpredictability of weather, water, ice, and climate (WWIC) conditions and physical injury. Though Inuit often travel hundreds of kilometers from their communities, many northern weather stations are located at community airports, which means that weather information does not meet the needs of community members. This PhD research project aims to explore community-based environmental monitoring (CBM) programs in Pond Inlet and Iqaluit to support travel safety across Nunavut. Blue Futures Pathways (BFP) is a program that connects young people aged 15-35 with education, employment and funding opportunities that support them in exploring successful careers in the Sustainable Blue Economy (Canada’s ocean, fresh water, wastewater and ice sectors). Acting as a Regional Coordinator, Faith will help establish a northern presence for BFP, expand outreach, and share resources that promote opportunities within the Sustainable Blue Economy.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Gita Ljubicic

Student:

Partner:

SOI Foundation

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Accelerate

Scoliosis management through novel asymmetry surface topography analysis

Scoliosis is a condition where the spine curves abnormally, often developing in children and adolescents. To monitor how scoliosis progresses, patients usually have repeated x-rays over several years, sometimes as often as every six months. While this helps doctors track changes in the spine, it also means children are exposed to repeated radiation during an important time in their growth and development. Our project introduces a new, non-invasive technology called BackSCNR that can assess spinal curvature using 3D surface scans of the back, without any radiation. This project could improve scoliosis care by reducing radiation exposure, cutting costs, and making clinic visits easier for families. If successful, BackSCNR could become a widely used tool, bringing safe and accurate scoliosis monitoring to clinics everywhere, especially in places with limited access to imaging. Our goal is to improve care while keeping the health and safety of children as the top priority.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Lindsey Westover;Samer Adeeb

Student:

Partner:

Alberta Health Services

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Public administration; Retail trade

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Business Strategy Internship

Applying Knowledge in Marine Planning

Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound is located just northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Historically the sound has been significantly impacted by human activities. Now it is experiencing ecological resurgence, and there is increasing interest in both greater understanding the sound and applying marine spatial planning (MSP). MSP allocates human activities in marine areas to achieve multiple objectives. MSP processes are increasingly recognizing the importance of bringing together multiple knowledge systems; yet challenges reside in how to do that. This research has two parts. The first part involves exploring how multiple knowledge systems have been woven into MSP processes around the world, to inform efforts in Átl’ka7tsem and elsewhere. The second part involves developing a conceptual model of the Átl’ka7tsem social-ecological system to identify the social and ecological components where knowledge is important for informing MSP decisions. Outcomes from this research will benefit those working to further MSP within Átl’ka7tsem, and benefit others facing similar challenges in places with similar ecosystems.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Natalie Ban

Student:

Partner:

MakeWay

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Information and cultural industries; Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Accelerate

Innovations in Mass Cytometry

Biological systems are exceptionally complex. To understand the biochemical processes that influence diseases in whole organisms, information about all the cell types present and their activities is required. Mass cytometry is a Canadian invention that enables the simultaneous quantification of a large number of parameters at the cellular level in heterogeneous biological samples. Mass cytometers and their associated reagents are currently produced in Markham, ON by Standard BioTools Canada Inc., our partner on this application. The goal this project is to leverage the unique capabilities of Mass Cytometry to demonstrate valuable measurements that are impossible by other technologies. We will demonstrate how common methods of analyzing tissue in two colours can be done with over 40 colours. We will show an example of how we can find which cells in a complex mixture take up and bind to a drug. Finally we will show how following the response of all cells to a drug simultaneously will reveal selective approaches to target specific immune cells.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mark Nitz

Student:

Partner:

Standard Biotools Canada Inc.

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Accelerate

Enabling Efficient Coexistence of Low-Power Wide-Area Networks in the Sub-GHz Spectrum

This project between Dalhousie University and Paris-Saclay University focuses on improving how low-power wireless networks share the sub-GHz radio spectrum. These networks, including LoRaWAN, Wi-Fi HaLow, and Sigfox, are widely used in smart cities, agriculture, and environmental monitoring. However, when they operate in the same unlicensed frequency bands, interference can occur, reducing reliability and energy efficiency. This project will develop energy-efficient methods for detecting ongoing transmissions using lightweight artificial intelligence models and will introduce cooperative strategies that help networks share spectrum fairly and adaptively.
The collaboration includes a two-way research exchange. One PhD student from Dalhousie will visit Paris-Saclay for twelve weeks, and one PhD student from Paris-Saclay will spend twelve weeks at Dalhousie. Both students will benefit from joint supervision, complementary expertise, and international training opportunities. Research outputs, including simulation tools, experimental data, and prototype implementations, will be shared openly with academic and industrial communities. The project builds on ongoing connections with international research and industry partners and is expected to inform both technical practices and broader approaches to spectrum use. By promoting collaboration, openness, and adaptability, the project supports more sustainable and accessible wireless connectivity in Canada, France, and beyond.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Samer Lahoud

Student:

Partner:

Université Paris Saclay

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Education

University:

Dalhousie University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Assessing Soft Skills in Higher Education: Best Practices and Tools for Holistic Admissions

Soft skills like communication, self-awareness, resilience, or empathy are important for individuals to succeed in higher education (e.g., medical, engineering, or business school). It is therefore important to effectively assess such soft skills when admitting students into education programs. Yet, such assessments must demonstrate predictive validity (i.e., performance in a test or interview should be related to success in school and later in professional settings). A key challenge is to evaluate success in higher education, especially using indicators beyond pure academic performance (e.g., grades, time-to-graduation). This project, a collaboration between Dr. Nicolas Roulin at Saint Mary’s University and Acuity Insights, aims to review multiple literatures to create a comprehensive framework to assess soft skills, soft skills development over time, and holistically evaluate (and predict) student success in higher education. The project will also represent a blueprint that Acuity Insights can use to work with higher education programs to provide comprehensive evidence for the validity of the Casper test (which Acuity owns and administers) and other assessments used in admission.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Nicolas Roulin

Student:

Partner:

Acuity Insights

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Saint Mary's University

Program:

Accelerate

Dietary Fiber in Canadian Wheat Varieties: A comparison between whole grain flour, white flour and bread.

Recognizing the widespread issue of insufficient dietary fiber intake and the significant role of cereal grains, this project focuses on Canadian wheat cultivars as a vital source of these bioactive compounds. The research will comprehensively analyze the dietary fiber content, including cell wall polysaccharides and fermentable oligosaccharides/polysaccharides in whole grain flour, commonly consumed white flour products, and bread, utilizing established methodologies developed at Rothamsted Research, UK. A key focus will be on arabinoxylans (AX), the predominant fiber in wheat, with analysis including quantification in different Canadian wheat cultivars through advanced chromatographic techniques as HPAEC, HPLC and HPLC-MS/MS. Furthermore, this project aims to explore the potential for developing novel functional ingredients derived from Canadian wheat, particularly AX, and evaluate their impact on dough formation and fermentation in bread making, ultimately seeking to improve the nutritional profile of widely accepted cereal-based foods.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Maneka Malalgoda

Student:

Partner:

Rothamsted Research;Purdue University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture and Food

University:

University of Manitoba

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Establishing a long-term biomonitoring programme to assess mine reclamation and advance biodiversity science

The proposed project aims to implement cutting-edge made-in-Canada approaches to assess and improve the restoration of habitats impacted by resource extraction. This process—known as reclamation—is often implemented by consulting firms and typically does not produce new publicly-available technologies nor public biodiversity data. By implementing modern DNA barcoding and metabarcoding technologies at Canada’s largest copper mine, we can discover new species and produce permanent data for biodiversity monitoring, while also providing high-resolution estimates of habitat recovery for the industry partner. We will assess estimates of reclamation and habitat integrity from four key biodiversity monitoring approaches—metabarcoding, eDNA, bioacoustic monitoring, and camera trapping, and identify the pros and const of each. As a part of the project, I am developing new software and laboratory chemistry that will enable researchers around the globe to implement modern molecular taxonomic tools for applied or basic science.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Paul Hebert

Student:

Partner:

Teck Resources Ltd

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Manufacturing; Mining

University:

University of Guelph

Program:

Elevate

Linking Pleistocene glacial processes and modern groundwater dynamics: a case study of the sediment–bedrock interface in Guelph, Ontario

Groundwater is the main source of drinking water for the City of Guelph, but understanding how it flows underground is complicated by the region’s glacial history. During the Pleistocene, glaciers repeatedly moved across southern Ontario, shaping the land and overlaying sediments onto the underlying bedrock. The resulting sediment?bedrock interface is vital because it influences how water moves underground and how bedrock aquifers recharge.
This research investigates how this interface was modified under glaciers and how it now affects groundwater systems in Guelph. Using a 3D geological model constructed from thousands of boreholes and high-resolution geophysical and hydrological data from select bedrock cored holes in the area, the study will analyze the physical and hydraulic properties of the sediment?bedrock interface. Theories about how water flowed under glaciers will be tested, providing insights into how these historical processes influence modern water flow. Findings will be used to refine existing groundwater models to improve predictions about how water moves underground.
The findings will help the City of Guelph manage its groundwater resource sustainably, ensuring reliable water supplies as the population grows. This research also has broader implications for other regions shaped by glaciers, offering a new approach to studying groundwater systems in these areas. By connecting the glacial past to present-day water challenges, this work will provide tools for better groundwater quality and quantity management.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Emmanuelle Arnaud;Beth Parker

Student:

Partner:

Montrose Environmental

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Guelph

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.