Innovations Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

13270 Completed Projects

1072
AB
2795
BC
430
MB
106
NF
348
SK
4184
ON
2671
QC
43
PE
209
NB
474
NS

Projects by Category

10%
Computer science
9%
Engineering
1%
Engineering - biomedical
4%
Engineering - chemical / biological

Assessing the viability of low-pass whole genome bisulfite-sequencing for epigenetic age prediction

We all know someone who looks or functions like someone who is much younger than their actual age (or vice versa). Why is this? Whether our bodies age faster or slower than expected can be explained by lifestyle choices (e.g. adopting a healthy or unhealthy diet), environmental exposures (e.g. stress or exposure to pollution or cigarette smoke), and genetic factors. These factors influence our so-called, “biological age”, which is the age that our body physically or functionally represents. Biological age can be determined through a lab test for reversible chemical modifications to our genes, known as “methylation markers”. Traditionally, only a small subset of the known methylation markers are used for biological age estimation. Imagine these methylation markers as pixels on an old cathode ray tube (CRT) television. The picture is discernible but not perfect. A newer technology has emerged, analogous to a high-resolution 4K television, known as whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. We propose to test this high-resolution technology for biological age prediction.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Andrew McArthur

Student:

Michael Chong

Partner:

AgeRate

Discipline:

Biochemistry / Molecular biology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Accelerate

Supercritical water gasification of bio-oils for synthetic jet fuel

Greenfield Global is currently developing a conversion process to produce jet fuel from renewable feedstocks. Collection and densification of different biomass waste materials and municipal waste at satellite facilities to produce bio-oils, which are then processed at a central facility, is expected. The first processing step at the central facility is supercritical water gasification and it is the focus of this project. The bio-oils are converted by supercritical water gasification to produce synthesis gas. After removal of potential contaminants, the synthesis gas is converted by Fisher-Tropsch synthesis and appropriate refining steps into jet fuel. Improved understanding of how bio-oil composition affects gasification, gasifier operation, and product yields is one of the deliverables of this work. Specific attention will be paid to trace products that could affect downstream processes. The second major deliverable from this work is to establish a relationship between bio-oil properties and synthesis gas contaminants, which is critical to the appropriate design and sizing of the gas cleaning step, and would potentially qualify or disqualify bio-oils as feeds. The work will involve both experimental investigations and engineering work to integrate the know-how into the Greenfield Global process.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Arno de Klerk

Student:

Natalia Rocio Montoya Sanchez

Partner:

Greenfield Global

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Other

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Elevate

Targeted genetic diagnosis of microbiologically influenced corrosion

Infrastructure corrosion results in considerable annual loss to the oil and gas industry. Corrosion can occur by numerous means; a lesser-well understood cause is due to microbes living and thriving within these systems. This phenomenon is referred to as microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). In recent years, it’s been subject to an increasing amount of study with the goal of developing mitigation strategies. A major knowledge gap that still thwarts effective mitigation is the specifics of the biological mechanisms that microbes employ to corrode infrastructure. One such aggressive mechanism is the direct removal of electrons from the metal surface, a phenomenon known as EMIC. Successful mitigation begins with effective diagnosis of EMIC, for which a reliable, precise diagnostic tool does not currently exist. In light of this need, we propose the development of a genetic assay to specifically target and identify EMIC corrosive microbes within environmental field samples. Preliminary research conducted by our group and work that has been reported in recent literature has provided promising leads, in the form of EMIC genetic targets, which we seek to continue to pursue and develop. Being of high interest, this would provide a valuable contribution to Canadian research and business within the industry.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Lisa Gieg

Student:

Natalie Maria Rachel

Partner:

OSP Microcheck

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Elevate

Benefits and Challenges of using a Digital Health Platform for Remote Delivery of Allied Health Provider Services

The research project aims to discover the experience of two user groups interacting with a prototype developed by HealthQb. The user groups are patients suffering from anxiety, chronic pain and/or infertility, and their allied health practitioners, such as chiropractors, kinesiologists, naturopaths, osteopaths and physiotherapists. The patients will wear a wearable device that collects biometric data and input their subjective state into a mobile app and complete psychometric assessments; and the practitioners will use the analyzed data on a web-hosted dashboard developed by HealthQb, in hopes of delivering better inform treatment and remotely monitoring patient progress. Insights generated from the research will inform the design and development of a commercialized product, which HealthQb intends to develop by the end of 2020.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Carman Neustaedter

Student:

Azadeh Forghani

Partner:

HealthQB Technologies

Discipline:

Interactive arts and technology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Accelerate

Up-scalable production of high efficiency perylene diimide (PDI)-based organic light emitting devices using slot die coating methods

With respect to large-area display applications, it is desirable to have not only the active layers but also the electrodes in the OLEDs that can be formed by solution fabrication process. To address the manufacturing challenges of high-performance OLEDs, several scalable techniques such as doctor blading, ink-jet printing, and ultrasonic spray coating have been developed or employed. Hence, OLEDs provide a wider scope for researchers to either develop or demonstrate a variety of new methods that are cost-effective, large-area, and roll-to-roll (R2R) compatible, and more importantly, have excellent efficiency.As OLEDs technology becomes more established, further improvement in device performance can be expected. However, successful and timely commercialization of this technology to replace already-existing but expensive LCD technologies depends on how some of the critical issues, such as (1) providing strategies for optimization of OLEDs, (2) combining facile synthetic methods with greener processing for efficient polymer-perylene diimide based OLEDs and (3) employing efficient, high performance slot die coating technology for OLED applications, are addressed.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Gregory Welch

Student:

Sergey Vladimirovich Dayneko

Partner:

LED Sign Supply

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Accelerate

Best Practices and Models for Open, Collaborative Scholarship in the Arts & Humanities

Open, digital scholarship in the Arts and Humanities is significant as a mechanism of Canada’s growing digital scholarly infrastructure for facilitating public access and engagement with research. But the path to adopting open, digital scholarship on a national scale has been challenging. Academic organizations like the not-for-profit Iter Canada are committed to facilitating the engagement of Canadian scholarship in global conversations. How do we do this in ways that speak to the needs of our communities, are open, effective and sustainable? This research program aims to study best practices for the development, maintenance, and sustainability of open digital scholarship for Arts- and Humanities-based collaborations. I will collaborate with Iter Canada to facilitate the creation of dynamic, open, and data-driven websites for Arts and Humanities research communities. I will draw from my experiences with online digital collections and my professional experience in the digital humanities. The breadth of Iter Canada’ scholarly interests (Middle Ages, Renaissance) offers a significant but manageable scope within the Arts and Humanities. Working with Iter Canada will necessitate the understanding of humanities concepts and ways to realize them as technical solutions to answer research questions -in a way that ultimately benefits the Canadian research community.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Raymond Siemens

Student:

Luis Meneses

Partner:

ITER

Discipline:

Literature

Sector:

Information and cultural industries

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Elevate

Farms of the Future – Evaluating the impacts of regenerative farming practices on soil biodiversity

Complex communities of bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates are known to be involved in the preservation and enhancement of soil fertility, nutrient cycling, crop productivity, and carbon sequestration, but the details have been lacking. This knowledge gap can now be addressed through new methods, such as DNA metabarcoding, which make it possible to monitor the diversity and dynamics of entire soil communities. McCain Foods Ltd., a global producer of potato products, launched its ‘Farms of the Future’ project in early 2020 to demonstrate the scalability and economic viability of regenerative farming practices that protect both soil health and biodiversity, factors key to the sustainability of potato production. A 400-acre farm in New Brunswick was acquired to test conventional farming practices against regenerative methods such as green manure, rotational livestock grazing, and strip cropping. By using metabarcoding to quantify the impacts of different agricultural practices on soil organisms, my research will identify practices that foster biological communities that enhance soil productivity. While my results will be important to McCain Foods, they will have broader impacts on the long-term vitality of Canada’s agricultural sector by advancing understanding of factors influencing soil biodiversity and the practices that regenerate and protect it.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Paul Hebert

Student:

Michelle Lynn D'Souza

Partner:

McCain Foods

Discipline:

Other

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Guelph

Program:

Elevate

Investigating the mechanistic links between cannabinoid and pain-related gene variants and functional measures of musculoskeletal pain

Pain is a combination of mental, physical and social factors. This makes it difficult to understand and even more difficult to treat. Chronic pain is unique to the individual, and to treat it effectively requires a better understanding of how pain is generated in each person. The goal of this study is to describe the relationships between inherited genes and the factors that affect pain, recovery, and people’s response to medication. The first phase of this study has 2 aims. The first aim is to describe the relationship between genes, pain, and recovery time. The second aim is to see if there are any differences between the drugs that people were prescribed and the ones that are recommended based on their genes. The second phase of this study is to look at the effects of cannabis medications on pain in the context of the underlying genes. This study will not only help to refine the use of gene-based strategies for drug prescription, but it will increase our understanding of how to prescribe cannabis medications.

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Faculty Supervisor:

David Walton

Student:

Joshua Lee

Partner:

Inagene

Discipline:

Physics / Astronomy

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Western University

Program:

Elevate

Investigating the potential role of algal-derived astaxanthin for improved health and performance in AquAdvantage Salmon

The rapid expansion of the aquaculture industry has fueled significant advances in fish health and nutrition. One such innovation has been the development of the growth-enhanced Atlantic salmon, AquAdvantage Salmon (AAS), which was approved for commercial production and consumption in the US in 2015. AquAdvantage Salmon are raised exclusively in land-based operations using highly efficient recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) that depend on microbial communities to degrade waste and excess feed. Understanding the health and immunity of AAS is of utmost importance in order to maintain and increase fish performance and welfare. Research suggests that fish health and immunity are directly related to their microbial communities (i.e., microbiomes) comprising bacteria, archaea, yeasts, and viruses that inhabit the mucosa. The abundance and composition of these complex microbial communities are extremely variable and are affected by a range of biotic and abiotic factors. Despite this, the microbiome of AAS and the microbial communities within the RAS production environment is not understood, nor is the degree to which these microbiota influence each other, or how they are impacted by diet, environmental conditions, and pathogenic stressors.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mark Fast

Student:

Stacey Goldberg

Partner:

AquaBounty Canada

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Prince Edward Island

Program:

Elevate

Structural performance of Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) reinforced concrete tilt-up wall panels under out-of-plane loads

Glass Fibre-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) materials have emerged as a promising material in civil engineering applications due to their superior characteristics such as light weight, high strength, durability, and resistance to corrosion. Thanks to these features, GFRP bars have been used in many civil infrastructure applications. However, there are still opportunities to benefit from this innovative material. Using tilt-up wall panel method in construction of houses, and commercial and industrial buildings is a popular alternative to cast-in-place, precast, or masonry construction methods. Tilt-up wall panels are conventionally reinforced with steel bars, which are susceptible to corrosion. Thus, GFRP bars have great potential to be a sustainable alternative reinforcement. The superior characteristics of GFRP materials would extend the life cycle of tilt-up walls and reduce the related construction and repair costs. Despite these advantages, there are no relevant design equations and recommendations in FRP reinforced concrete design codes and guidelines. Thus, this study will provide a unique set of data and will introduce new design formulations and recommendations for GFRP reinforced concrete tilt-up wall panels. The results would allow owners, engineers and contractors to benefit from GFRP bars as internal reinforcement in tilt-up walls to be safe under vertical and lateral loads.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Khaled Galal

Student:

Alireza Asadianardakani

Partner:

B&B FRP Manufacturing

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Concordia University

Program:

Elevate

Modeling and predicting the thermophysiological comfort of clothing using an advanced multi-sector sweating torso

Thermophysiological comfort corresponds to the satisfaction of a person with their immediate thermal environment. It is largely influenced by the heat and moisture transport properties of the clothing. Thermophysiological comfort affects people’s well-being and performance: it is a critical aspect in the design of technical athletic garments. This project aims at developing the tools and protocols that will enable a new multi-sector sweating torso to better predict clothing thermophysiological comfort. This includes the determination of its ability to discriminate between different clothing comfort levels, wear trial protocols relevant to the conditions experienced by people exercising; an improved modelling of clothing thermophysiological comfort; and a library of fabric properties and their correlation with thermophysiological comfort.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Patricia Dolez;Ri Sunny Li;Philip Ainslie;Kevin Golovin;Abbas Sadeghzadeh Milani;Apurva Narayan

Student:

Mojtaba Zabihi;Akash Sengupta;Md Rashedul Islam;Farzan Gholamreza

Partner:

Lululemon Athletica

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Two case studies in the public history of international development policies in Canada: the Lebanese Special Measures Program (1975-1990) and The Life of Lewis Perinbam (1925-2008)

This project will involve the research of international development assistance policy in Canada. It will focus on two case studies: Lebanese Special Measures Program and the life of distinguished Canadian humanitarian Lewis Perinbam. This research would contribute to a better understanding of the history of international development assistance in Canada. The partners in this project are not-for-profit organizations focused on promoting education and community development. By partnering with MITACS Accelerate, we will be able to fund high level research that explores how Canada’s international development assistance operates in practice. The ultimate goal is to promote a better understanding of this history to the public.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dominique Marshall

Student:

Anna Kozlova

Partner:

World University Service of Canada

Discipline:

History

Sector:

University:

Carleton University

Program:

Accelerate

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