Minister Pagtakhan Announces National Innovation Prizes Worth $175,000

“These collaborations are putting Canada on the map as an international leader in university-industry innovation and training,” said Minister Rock. “The winning R&D partnerships are ‘win-win’ examples of how research pays off for companies, universities, students and Canada.”

Seven partnerships were singled out for national recognition:

• University of Manitoba professor Lotfollah Shafai and InfoMagnetics Technologies Corporation, for state-of-the-art innovations in the design and circuitry of satellite and wireless antennas;
  
  
• Simon Fraser University professor Zamir K. Punja and the BC Greenhouse Growers’ Association, for crop protection and environmental management technologies that have enhanced the competitiveness of the Canadian greenhouse vegetable industry;
  
  
• University of Alberta professor Sirish L. Shah and Matrikon Inc., for leading-edge process and performance monitoring tools that can be used by industry to reduce costs, optimize process operations and improve product quality;
  
  
• University of Windsor professor Douglas Stephan and NOVA Chemicals Corporation, for new and cost-effective catalysts to produce high-performance plastics;
  
  
• McMaster University professors John MacGregor and Theodora Kourti and Tembec Inc. and Dofasco Inc., for statistical methods that recover valuable information from large data flows collected during manufacturing and that lead to major economic benefits and process and product improvements;
  
  
• University of Toronto professors Douglas Reeve, Robert Andrews and many others and ERCO Worldwide, for a 50-year partnership that has had enormous environmental and economic benefits for the pulp and paper and water treatment industries; and
  
  
• Dalhousie University professor Jeffrey Dahn and 3M Canada Company and 3M Company, for new electrode materials that can double the storage capacity and operating time of lithium-ion batteries.

“Successful university-industry collaborations such as these are keeping us on track to become one of the world’s most innovative, R&D-performing nations,” said Minister Pagtakhan.

“Creativity and entrepreneurship drive innovation,” said NSERC President Tom Brzustowski. “These partnerships draw together those who produce new knowledge with those who know how to use it productively in the Canadian economy.”

The seven Canadian university professors will each receive a $25,000 research grant. The participating companies receive a work of art.

The prizes will be presented this evening at The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver (Pacific Ballroom).

For more information, contact:

Arnet Sheppard
NSERC Newsbureau
Tel.: (613) 995-5997
E-mail: axs@nserc.ca