Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

L-R: Alessandra Bottero, Initial PR; Bryant McNamara, Initial PR; Councillor Marianne Wilkinson; President Cheryl Jensen; Alex Scantlebury, Initial PR; Graham Spero, Initial PR; Councillor Rick Chiarelli

We’re open for business, and students are all fired up about it.

At today’s launch event for Algonquin College’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the centre’s official name – IgniteAC – was formally unveiled, and students were introduced to the resources designed to help them launch their businesses during their studies.

“We believe that college is the best place to start your business, and in the coming years you will hear us talking more about how we are building that entrepreneurial culture internally with our students and employees,” said Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College. “Algonquin College has long been known within the college sector as an innovator, and by opening this centre we are placing more tools in our toolbelt and better equipping our students and graduates for success.”

The centre, located in room C151, is open to students and employees of the College. It offers office and meeting space, and connections to a variety of College entrepreneurship resources including events, education, and programming (like the upcoming SUMMIT Summer Intensive entrepreneurship ‘boot camp’ this summer).

The centre complements existing entrepreneurship support offerings within the College, including Applied Research – a business incubation service uniting innovators, students, and faculty mentors to tackle business challenges.

The Algonquin Students’ Association’s Executive-in-Residence, Andrew Foti, also supports students working out of this space and guides students through the many community resources outlined at www.algonquinsa.com/entrepreneurship

In addition to the centre’s opening, guests were treated to a surprise announcement – a business launch! Initial PR, a public relations firm headed up by four Algonquin College students, officially unveiled itself to the world. Company president Bryant McNamara spoke to his classmates’ burning desire to start their own business.

“We are honoured to be a part of this new facility, as this is precisely what we need at this time to make sure that we succeed in our career and in the economy of today,” said McNamara. “This economy is one that requires entrepreneurship to grow, and Algonquin has heard that call. IgniteAC will be a valuable resource, supporting us as we blaze our own trail into the working world.”

The College’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship forms one part of the Capital Entrepreneurs program, a joint venture with Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, and La Cité collegiale, which is supported by the Ontario government through the Campus Linked Accelerators program.

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As the victims’ rights movement progresses in Canada and around the world, our country has seen the growth and development of a service sector of victim assistance workers tasked with supporting victims of crime – from an initial disclosure all the way to supporting a family when an offender is granted parole.

Despite a rapid expansion of services for victims of crime, there has been limited research on how victims of crime experience these services and how they navigate different service providers and negotiate to meet their needs.

That’s why the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), a federal research funding agency, is supporting an important new applied research project at Algonquin College – marking the first time the agency has supported an applied research project at Algonquin College.

As announced in Toronto this afternoon by Federal Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan, SSHRC has awarded $207,210 in funding to the Algonquin College Victimology graduate certificate program over three years to fund the efforts of a team of seven – including Victimology students, in partnership with the Victim Justice Network (VJN) – to study how victims of crime can be best served by the support systems designed to help them.

“Our program was launched in part to offer enhanced training for service providers on the specific vulnerabilities and sensitivities of victims of crime as they respond to adversity and navigate the criminal justice system,” said Dr. Benjamin Roebuck, Coordinator, Victimology program. “Through this applied research project, we aim to create innovative training materials, contribute a Canadian perspective to international literature on the subject, and examine how the strengths of victims of crime contribute to their resilience. This project will be a meaningful learning opportunity for our students, and our team hopes that the results will be useful to survivors of violence and those who serve them.”

“We are fortunate to have the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council for this important applied research,” added Marissa Locke, one of the students working on this project. “This will be both a significant learning opportunity for us and the industry which we will be working in, and I hope it will result in better, more informed services for victims of crime.”

“Our mandate is to promote awareness, understanding and support for victims of crime in our society,” said Priscilla de Villiers, Executive Director with the Victim Justice Network – a key partner in this project. “We are pleased to play a role and support this important applied research, ideally reducing the trauma experienced by victims of crime through their interactions with the criminal justice system.”

The project, which began in the fall, will run for three years and will include consultations with survivors and service provides, an online survey, in-depth interviews, focus groups, and a strong focus on knowledge dissemination. Findings will be presented in venues including the World Society of Victimology annual conference in Croatia, the Critical Criminology & Social Justice Conference in Ottawa, and at Algonquin College Applied Research Days and other project-specific events and webinars.

At its conclusion, a series of recommendations will be issued to Ontario’s Office for Victims of Crime and Ministry of the Attorney General, and articles will be submitted to peer reviewed journals.

Modern technologies are re-shaping the building industry. New tools and devices are changing the life cycle considerations of building design, construction, operation and renewal. Mobile devices are enabling new and faster modes of interactions between people.

These technologies bring promise of improved performance and productivity, but place new demands on people and processes. This shift presents a growing opportunity for Algonquin – check out our new Residential Living Lab being worked on at our Perth campus! Learn more.

April 16, 2015 – A group of Algonquin College students and professors have been working on Boardspace, an online app to help boards of directors complete administrative tasks more efficiently. Their hard work and time has paid off, as they won best stand-alone project award at Applied Research Day 13.0 on April 10, 2015.

“The Boardspace App helps everybody get organized,” said Chris Elliott, Principal Investigator for the Boardspace project. “We find this software works very well for boards of directors or boards of governors, but it is also effective for a wide range of companies.”

Other winners from Applied Research Day 13.0 were:

• Best ARI In-Class Project: Automated Epoxy Application & Curing System. Mechanical Engineering Technology students, in partnership with GasTOPS Ltd, developed a production oven that automates a complex manufacturing process.

• Best ARI Voucher for E-business (VEB) Project: BarnDoor Productions: Website Modernization. The project team developed a modern website for BarnDoor Productions/Full Circle Theatre, focused on branding and marketing principles to attract a new generation of theatre goers.

• Best Algonquin General Project: Improving workplace environments within hospitals to improve the physical and mental health of healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals are often left out of health care design. This project recommended design changes that could alleviate stress and strain that healthcare workers experience each day.

Applied Research Day, hosted by the Office of Applied Research and Innovation, is held three times a year at Algonquin College. The event highlights leading edge applied research being conducted at the College in collaboration with industry, institutional and community partners. 120 projects were on display on April 10.

Read more about the Boardspace project in the Ottawa Business Journal.

Executive Director, Partnerships and Applied Research thanks representatives from the federal government for their support of Algonquin College’s Construction Research Centre. L-R: Mark Hoddenbagh, Minister Pierre Poilievre, MP Royal Galipeau, and Denise Amyot, CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada.

The Honourable Minister of State (Science and Technology), Ed Holder, joined by David Sweet, Member of Parliament for Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, today announced over $40 million in grants to colleges across Canada to support applied research and development activities with industry, including $2.3 million over five years for Algonquin College’s Construction Research Centre.

The funding announced today was awarded through the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program and the College Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF) Program.

The 38 projects funded through this $40 million announcement will create jobs and opportunities in key areas including manufacturing, green buildings and mobile technology, while training the next generation of highly skilled Canadians. Colleges also received support to purchase specialized research equipment.

Quotes

“Our government’s providing record investments necessary to push the boundaries of knowledge, create jobs, and improve the quality of life of Canadians. Our government is committed to creating the conditions that will allow entrepreneurship to thrive in this country. The collaboration between colleges and local industrial partners generates new products and ideas, creating long-term prosperity for the benefit of all Canadians.”
—The Honourable Ed Holder
Minister of State (Science and Technology)

“Applied research connects the skills and knowledge of our students and faculty with local businesses to strengthen our local economy. This grant will support those continued partnerships. We thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for their support and look forward to the exciting learning opportunities ahead.”
—Dr. Mark Hoddenbagh
Executive Director, Partnerships and Applied Research, Algonquin College

“NSERC is proud to support applied research and technology transfer work at Canada’s community colleges. Building college research capacities to help businesses innovate will create economic growth, and train the next generation of researchers and entrepreneurs. From building specialized equipment to developing new research centres, the College and Community Innovation program supports world-class research and innovation in communities all across the country.”
—Dr. B. Mario Pinto
President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

“In today’s competitive, global marketplace, businesses are now benefiting from having access to state-of-the-art facilities and exceptional research expertise available to them in colleges across the country. The Canada Foundation for Innovation’s College Industry Innovation Fund helps ensure that colleges can position themselves as valuable business research and innovation partners for the benefit of all Canadians.”
—Dr. Gilles Patry
President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation

Centre, established through research grants and industry contributions, will enhance learning opportunities for students and provide access to cutting edge equipment to industry though joint research projects.

(Photo L-R: José Aguilera, local entrepreneur; Alex Yang, Construction Research Centre Project Manager; Cheryl Jensen, President, Algonquin College; Pierre Normand, Vice-President, External Relations and Communications, Canada Foundation for Innovation; Jared Potvin, Algonquin College student; Dr. Riccardo brun del Re, Acting Director, Applied Research & Innovation, Algonquin College)

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New research centre, founded through research grants and industry contributions, to be unveiled, providing new learning and partnership opportunities.

Date of event: Friday, January 30 from 9:45 – 11 a.m.

What:

On January 30, 2015, Algonquin College will officially open the doors of its Construction Research Centre, a facility containing approximately $2.8 million worth of brand new research equipment and software to support applied research in ACCE and Media and Design programs.

This centre, located within the Am-Tech Electrical Lab, was established through funding from Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Research Fund, and contributions from private industry – all told, the support totals $3.15 million of equipment and infrastructure to enhance Algonquin College’s capabilities to conduct research in the area of construction in both Ottawa and Perth, Ontario

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