OLDS COLLEGE
Over $95 Million Awarded for Lab to Market Grants

The federal government has announced $95.3 million in funding over five years through the Lab to Market grants to financially support four networks of post-secondary institutions and organizations from private, public, not-for-profit and health services sectors.

Across Canada, the four networks will offer researchers the tools, resources and expertise required to bring scientific, social and service innovations to market or to community users. This support includes digital resources to increase the understanding of commercialization processes, mentorship and business coaching, financial aid, and opportunities for collaboration and sharing best practices.

One of the networks is being led by Red River College Polytech and is made up of 38 partner institutions, 24 Technology Access Centres, 610 business mentors and over 2,100 applied research and industry specialists. Olds College of Agriculture & Technology is a co-applicant of this entrepreneurial network and officials say it supports the College's mission. 

"We are very excited to be part of this network," said David Fullerton, Director of Applied Research at Olds College Centre for Innovation (OCCI). "We feel this will be a great fit for us as it supports our mandate to assist the agriculture industry and SMEs develop technology and products. We also believe being part of this network will help Olds College students become successful entrepreneurs."

The Lab to Market grants initiative is a collaboration between the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). 

"Red River College Polytech is leading the College-University Lab to Market Network for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization, which brings together 30 colleges and universities, along with other collaborators, and spans eight regional hubs and three Indigenous hubs," said The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. 

"This network will harness the infrastructure and expertise in industry-facing applied research found at Canada's colleges and polytechnic institutions - which are critical for translating academic research into innovation for the market and community users." 

More information on this network can be found here.