SOSCIP: Access Big Data Tools to Support Innovative Research Projects

Since 2012, SOSCIP has supported innovative research projects by pairing academic and industry researchers with access to advanced computing technologies and resources to address common industry challenges.

SOSCIP consortium members include 15 of Ontario’s most research-intensive academic institutions, Ontario Centre of Excellence (OCE), and IBM Canada Ltd. as SOSCIP’s lead industry partner.

About SOSCIP

SOSCIP supports research collaborations to accelerate the commercialization of new products or services in Ontario, and contribute to the training and skills development of highly-qualified personnel. The consortium offers six advanced computing platforms, including:

1. Blue Gene/Q;
2. Agile FPGA;
3. Cloud Analytics;
4. Large Memory;
5. IBM Watson; and
6. GPU-Accelerated Platform.

SOSCIP Academic Member Institutions

SOSCIP works with academic researchers from across SOSCIP member institutions, as well as businesses that have material operations in Ontario that would like to collaborate with an academic researcher on their business or technical challenge.

Approved collaborative SOSCIP projects receive access to Canada’s most powerful advanced computing platforms, expert technical help and access to SOSCIP’s partnership network to find the right collaborators for their projects. Trainees engaged in SOSCIP collaborative research projects gain valuable data science skills that increase their competitiveness in the workplace.

Current consortium members include:

• Carleton University,
• McMaster University,
• OCAD University,
• Queen’s University,
• Ryerson University,
• Seneca College,
• University of Guelph,
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology,
• University of Ottawa,
• University of Toronto,
• University of Waterloo,
• University of Windsor,
• Western University,
• Wilfrid Laurier University,
• York University,
• IBM Canada Ltd.,
• Ontario Centres of Excellence

Ontario-based researchers and businesses may contact SOSCIP’s team of Industry Academic Development Officers (IADOs) to discuss potential partnership opportunities and access to computing platforms.

SOSCIP Opportunities for Post-doctoral Trainees

Post-doctoral fellows interested in learning more about data science opportunities can visit SOSCIP.

SOSCIP Research and Development Success Stories

In five short years, SOSCIP has supported a range of research and development projects. Some successful project examples include:

• Fighting Diseases That No Longer Respond to Treatment: SOSCIP-supported start-up, Designed Biologics, has leveraged SOSCIP’s advanced computing technologies to develop smart biologics that can treat illnesses that no longer respond to traditional drugs.
• Teaching Computers to See at the Nanoscale UOIT researcher Isaac Tamblyn is training computers to make accurate estimations in material science for creating extensive material databases to improve the efficiency and quality of materials needed in aerospace and healthcare industries.
• Evolving Cybersecurity Infrastructure in Canada: EvolutionQ is developing secure protocols and encryption software that can protect sensitive computer data and translates basic quantum operations into a set of instructions that can run on a quantum computer.

Access Other Funding Agencies’ Programs

Note: The following government funding programs are not associated with SOSCIP.
Businesses that partner with post-secondary researchers can access a range of government funding opportunities to offset a portion of a project’s research costs. Small business grants are available to help cover the costs associated with hiring a Masters student or PhD fellow to assist with a project’s R&D activities.

Some programs to consider include:

• NSERC Engage: Up to $25,000 in research grants that help businesses partner with academic researchers to solve an innovative technological challenge. The program supports short-term R&D projects lasting between 4-6 months.
• NSERC Collaborative Research and Development (CRD): Up to $150,000 in government funding to extend on-going project’s timelines by an additional 1-5 years and solve larger research and development challenge.
• Mitacs Elevate: Up to $25,000 in research grants to hire a PhD fellow for up to 2 years. The program supports long-term exploratory studies that exercise the findings to guide large-scale technology development. This program has specific intake periods, so be sure to check Mitacs’ website or contact us to confirm the program’s next application window.
• Mitacs Accelerate: Up to 50% coverage of Masters or PhD intern’s wages to a maximum $7,500 in grants for up to 4 months. The program supports short-term R&D studies that will allow the company to address a specific issue.
• R&D Project Hiring Grants: Up to 50% coverage of a researcher’s wages to a maximum $10,000 for internships or $35,000 to hire a PhD fellow for up to 4-12 months. The program support projects that allow businesses to overcome internal innovation challenges.

How to Get Access to SOSCIP’s Smart Computing Platforms

SOSCIP supports collaborative R&D projects that involve academic and industry researchers working together to solve challenging problems using advanced computing platforms. Researchers from eligible academic member institutions can apply for access to SOSCIP’s advanced computing platforms by submitting a Proposal for a Standard SOSCIP Collaborative Project. Preference is given to projects that:

• Demonstrate close industry-academic R&D collaboration, economic benefit to Ontario, and are very like to be commercialized/implemented;
• Demonstrate an innovative approach to solving an important challenge;
• Include training opportunities for post-doctoral fellows and graduate students; and
• Anticipate tangible deliverables in the form of new technologies, new processes, significant skills transfer, job creation, or other downstream benefits to society.

All projects approved for access to SOSCIP’s advanced computing platforms must sign a Project Collaboration Agreement (PCA) and pay a one-time platform access fee of $5,000 + HST prior to the start of the project. SOSCIP Project.