Mohawk is one of 17 colleges, cégeps and polytechnics from across Canada to share in $15.3 million in funding in support of applied research projects with more than 300 industry partners.

"Canada's colleges, cégeps and polytechnics play an important role as we forge ahead with Canada's innovation agenda," said Minister of State Gary Goodyear. "Innovation needs to be a central focus - from the research laboratory to the production floor. It is the key to maintaining our country's position as a global economic leader."

"Canadian colleges are lending their expertise to local companies, helping them to compete and grow," said Dr. Gilles G. Patry, CFI President and CEO. "The CFI is ensuring that colleges have in place specialized facilities to support their role as important hubs of economic growth and job creation."

"The Mohawk eHEalth Development and Innovation Centre will help businesses, with a special focus on small and medium enterprises, to launch and commercialize innovative new healthcare IT products and services," said Ted Scott, Mohawk's Chief Innovation Officer. "MEDIC will also serve as a hub for organizations undertaking interconnected healthcare projects. Our centre will house the technology needed to provide clients with a live, working eHealth ecosystem, plus the know-how and industry contacts they'll need to develop and commercialize new eHealth products." 

iDeaForge is a custom-built online suggestion box, clearinghouse and voting booth for students, faculty and staff. Modeled after similar programs used in the private sector and believed to be the first for a postsecondary institution in Canada, iDeaForge was developed by a team of students and faculty working in Mohawk iDeaWORKS.

During the summer semester, students, faculty and staff will submit ideas to the iDeaForge website between June 8 and July 22 and then vote on their favourite ideas from July 23 to Aug. 5. The top vote-getting idea will be reviewed by President Rob MacIsaac for possible implementation.

“iDeaForge is all about communicating high quality and actionable ideas among our students, faculty and staff across the entire college,” says Ted Scott, Mohawk’s Chief Innovation Officer. “Along with implementing an innovative solution each semester, we’re looking to use IdeaForge to share and build off ideas and start college-wide conversations about how to make Mohawk an even better place to learn and work.”

iDeaWORKS is holding a launch party for iDeaForge on Wednesday, June 8 at noon in the Mohawk Learning Exchange Collaboratory.

Based at Mohawk’s Fennell Campus, iDeaWORKS brings students, recent graduates, faculty and staff together with industry and community partners to work on applied research and innovation projects.

Mohawk College annually serves 16,000 full-time and apprenticeship students, 700 international students and more than 42,000 continuing education registrants. In the latest provincial student satisfaction survey, Mohawk ranked first among all colleges in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area for student and graduate satisfaction and quality of learning, programs, services and facilities.