GOVERNMENT OF CANADA INVESTING IN REGION’S FIRST DIGITAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ACCESS CENTRE AT MOHAWK

HAMILTON, ON (September 7, 2016) – Mohawk College is launching the region’s first Technology Access Centre for Digital Health to support innovation, adoption and commercialization of digital technology into the healthcare sector.

Filomena Tassi, Member of Parliament for Hamilton West – Ancaster – Dundas, today announced the Government of Canada’s $1.75 million investment over five years in Mohawk’s Technology Access Centre with a College and Community Innovation Program Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Set to open in January 2017, Mohawk’s Technology Access Centre in Digital Health will draw on the expertise of more than 30 faculty, staff and students working in the college’s award-winning mHealth and eHealth Development and Innovation Centre (MEDIC). The team will work with small and medium-size companies to design, build, test and implement digital health technologies and also deliver customized training.

Digital health uses informational technology and electronic communication tools, services and processes to deliver health care services in new ways.

QUOTES:

“I am thrilled to make this major funding announcement for Mohawk College today. This grant is proof that Mohawk is a college on the move. The funding will help Mohawk continue to build its dynamic presence as a leading Ontario centre for innovation in e-health and mobile health, as well as contribute to our economy by offering innovative opportunities to small and medium sized businesses in our region and around the province. I am so happy for the hard-working faculty, students and staff at Mohawk College." – MP Hamilton West – Ancaster – Dundas Filomena Tassi

“We are proud to invest in Canadian colleges and CÉGEPs that are at the forefront of applied research and technological innovation. This unique program supports R&D excellence and invests in the next generation of highly skilled innovators. By deepening interactions between the college community and businesses we’re helping local companies increase their R&D capacity, access new technologies and boost their competitiveness.” – Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada President Dr. B. Mario Pinto

“The Government of Canada’s $1.75 million investment in the region’s first Technology Access Centre for Digital Health will allow Mohawk to share our wealth of expertise with even more college partners. Our team will help companies bring innovative digital health solutions into homes and hospitals, create new jobs, further develop the skills of our students and help build healthier communities.” – Mohawk College President Ron McKerlie

“Mohawk’s Technology Access Centre will bridge the gap between small and medium-size companies and our healthcare system. Our centre will give these companies full access to our talent, technology and our connections to more than 1,000 digital health professionals from around the world.” - Mohawk College Director of Digital Health Applied Research Duane Bender

FAST FACTS:

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada awarded $32.7 million in College and Community Innovation Program Grants to 32 applied research projects at colleges across Canada.

The Government of Canada has invested more than $4.3 million in Mohawk’s mHealth and eHealth Development and Innovation Centre (MEDIC).

Mohawk ranks among the top 20 colleges in Canada for applied research activity and has set a goal of being among the top 10 colleges within the next five years. Mohawk is recognized as a leader in applied research in digital health technology, additive manufacturing and energy.

MEDIC was established in 2007 and has worked with more than 60 private, public and non-profit sector partners in 10 countries. Partners include Canada Health Infoway, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, eHealth Ontario and PATH, an international health organization

MEDIC faculty and staff have educated approximately 700 Mohawk students through co-op work terms, capstone projects and classroom instruction.

MEDIC was a finalist for PwC’s (formerly Price Waterhouse Coopers) 2016 Vision to Reality Innovator of the Year Award and received a Canada Health Infoway  Standards Collaborative Team Peer Award in 2010.

Mohawk is a member of the Synapse Life Science Consortium, which includes St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, the City of Hamilton, Innovation Factory, the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and the Bay Area Health Trust.

Hamilton’s health service and research sector is the city’s largest employer, with more than 1,350 healthcare, information technology, software and medical equipment and device manufacturers in the region.

CONTACTS:

Jay Robb, Mohawk College Director of Communications, 905.979.8893, jay.robb@mohawkcollege.ca

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Mohawk College educates and serves 30,000 full-time, part-time and apprenticeship students at three campuses in Hamilton, Ontario. Mohawk has been ranked number one in student satisfaction among all colleges in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area for six consecutive years and number one in graduate satisfaction for the past four years.

Hamilton, Ontario, November 25, 2011 — The Government of Canada will support 18 community colleges that partner with businesses to collaborate on applied research projects, including projects related to new clean energy technologies, more efficient forestry practices and technology designed to assist senior citizens. The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), announced these new partnerships at Mohawk College today.

“These new partnerships will provide skills training for students in the communities in which they are based, position Canadian colleges as a destination for top applied research talent and give local businesses in communities across the country access to the knowledge and resources they need to innovate and commercialize new products and services,” said Minister of State Goodyear. “These partnerships are necessary if we are to improve innovation in this country. Our government supports innovation because it creates jobs, improves the quality of life of Canadians and strengthens the economy.”

A total of 35 innovative partnerships between colleges and businesses will be provided with more than $13 million over a period of up to five years through the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program. The projects announced today were selected for funding following a peer-reviewed competition. This announcement follows other CCI investments announced in 2009 and 2010, bringing total CCI investments to date to over $120 million for 182 projects at 53 colleges.

Mohawk College received over $2.2 million to build a comprehensive microgrid system that will help design and test power systems. The Mohawk College Applied Research Centre in Energy Technology will partner with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Horizon Utilities Corporation, General Electric, Langford and Associates Incorporated – Schneider, Fuseforward International Inc., and McMaster University to create the microgrid.

The CCI Program is a collaborative initiative jointly managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The program has also received the support of the Association of Canadian Community Colleges and Polytechnics Canada.

“These CCI investments provide colleges with access to the people, resources and tools they need to be at the forefront of innovation,” said Suzanne Fortier, President of NSERC, which administers the program. “The ultimate goal is to create sustainable partnerships that will help sharpen our innovative edge and have a positive impact on the bottom line of our country and industry.”

NSERC is a federal agency that helps make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for all Canadians. The agency supports some 30,000 post-secondary students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding more than 12,000 professors every year and fosters innovation by encouraging more than 1,500 Canadian companies to participate and invest in post-secondary research projects.

Mohawk is receiving more than $2.2 million over five years through the College and Community Innovation Program.  Mohawk is one of 18 community colleges across Canada to receive more than $13 million in total funding from the program. 

The Innovation Enhancement Grant will support a new Research Centre in Energy Technology at Mohawk College. The centre will launch an applied research project aimed at solving the challenges of connecting emerging small-scale localized power generation technologies, including solar panels and wind turbines, with existing power grids.

The applied research project will include the construction of a microgrid (a localized power grid) to test power generation, distribution, protection protocols and intelligent energy systems management.  The Mohawk College Applied Research Centre in Energy Technology will carry out the applied research project in partnership with Horizon Utilities, General Electric, Scheweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Langford and associates Incorporated – Schneider, Fuseforward International Inc. and McMaster University.

“Mohawk congratulates the Government of Canada for investing in applied research at community colleges,” says President Rob MacIsaac. ““Applied research projects offer students unique learning experiences and deliver innovative solutions for our industry partners. Together, we’re bringing new products and services to market that create jobs and build prosperity here in the Greater Hamilton Area and across the country.”

In June 2009, Mohawk received a $2.3 million College and Community Innovation Program grant to launch the Mohawk College Applied Research Centre in Health Informatics. The research centre is building and testing the first working prototype of a national electronic health records solution.

“The Government of Canada’s College and Community Innovation Program served as the catalyst for our industry collaborations and contributions to the emerging field of health informatics,” says Ted Scott, Mohawk’s Chief Innovation Officer. “With our new Applied Research Centre in Energy Technology, we intend to make a similar contribution by working with industry to adopt and integrate clean and renewal energy sources.”

Students, faculty and staff are currently working with industry partners on more than 40 applied research projects coordinated by Mohawk iDeaWORKS. The projects are coordinated by Mohawk iDeaWORKS which collaborates with small to medium-sized enterprises, private, non-profit and government organizations to promote innovation, productivity and competitiveness.

"In today's environment, it is more important than ever that youth develop the skills they need to participate and succeed in the job market," said David Sweet, Member of Parliament for Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale. "Our government is proud to support projects that offer post-secondary graduates the opportunity to develop the skills and gain the experience that will help them reach their full potential."

Mohawk will receive $90,000 in Career Focus funding for its Career Connections for Grads project.

As part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment Strategy, the Career Focus program helps young Canadians-particularly those facing barriers to employment-obtain career information, develop skills, gain work experience, find good jobs and stay employed. The Youth Employment Strategy also includes the Summer Work Experience and Skills Link program.

Career Focus links young post-secondary graduates with potential employers who can provide them with career-related work experience and help them acquire advanced employment skills to facilitate their transition into the rapidly changing labour market.

Through the 2010 "Jobs and Growth Budget," the Government of Canada committed an additional $60 million to the Skills Link and Career Focus programs. Youth employment programs are also part of the Government of Canada's strategy to create the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world.