OTTAWA, May 20, 2020 /CNW/ – Congratulations to the 13 new and four renewed Technology Access Centres (TACs) awarded as part of the College and Community Innovation Program, announced by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
The 13 new TACs were awarded to colleges and cégeps across the country from Castlegar, BC to Gaspé, QC bringing the total number of Canada’s Technology Access Centres to 60.
Congratulations as well to the four TACs that were successfully renewed with another five-year mandate, validating the Technology Access Centre model, and joining the previous 21 TACs that have also received a second five-year mandate.
“The 13 new TACs announced today strengthen the already impressive capability and capacity of the Tech-Access Canada network,” said David Berthiaume, Executive Director of OLEOTEK and Chair of Tech-Access Canada’s Board of Directors. “We look forward to sharing best practices and assisting them to hit the ground running to rapidly solve the innovation challenges of industry partners in their regions.”
Canada’s 60 Technology Access Centres (TACs) are specialized applied research & development centres affiliated with publicly-funded colleges and cégeps. Each TAC serves a specific geographic area, with a focus on strengthening the industrial sector of significance to that region. These demand-driven centres, from BC to PEI, help Canadian businesses—especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—get their products, processes and services market-ready by:
- offering objective advice and specialized technical services;
- providing training related to new types of equipment and processes; and
- conducting applied research and development projects focused on company problems.
“As evidenced recently with their rapid response to COVID-19, the TACs were able to come together and help firms pivot and produce innovative new forms of personal protective equipment, hand sanitizer, tracking monitors, and other products; while still servicing the ongoing R&D needs of firms in essential industries,” said Ken Doyle, Tech-Access Canada’s Executive Director.
Tech-Access Canada would also like to congratulate all of the other recipients of both the Tri-Council administered Colleges and Community Innovation Program initiatives and the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s College-Industry Innovation Fund. These awards help expand college applied research capacity across the country, paving the way for future Technology Access Centre award winners.
About Tech-Access Canada
Tech-Access Canada is the national network of Canada’s 60 Technology Access Centres. Based in Ottawa, Tech-Access Canada facilitates the sharing of best practices between TAC members; works to harmonize service models across regions; and promotes college applied research to external audiences. The network enables the TACs to serve any company, anywhere in Canada, and help them access the expertise, equipment, and facilities they need to solve their innovation challenges.
Learn more about the TACs at MeetTheTACs.ca
SOURCE Tech-Access Canada
Ken Doyle, Executive Director, Phone: 613-366-4252, Email:Â kdoyle@tech-access.ca