Northern Ontario Development Program Awards Sault College $1M
Sault College, located in Sault Ste. Marie, is one of 24 publicly-funded colleges in the province of Ontario and is the largest deliverer of apprenticeship training in northern Ontario. The College has been announced a recipient of research and development funding which will allow them to acquire advanced equipment. This investment will benefit entrepreneurs, businesses, and post-secondary students in Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding areas who may access the equipment to develop innovative products and services.
Sault College has received $1,000,000 in funding for innovation from the Northern Ontario Development Program (NODP).
The Northern Ontario Development Program offers funding for projects that support business competitiveness, economic diversification, and innovation. Projects should lead to sustainable growth in northern Ontario, including large-scale business investment and job creation initiatives. Sault College’s NODP funding will be used to purchase and install state-of-the-art equipment for their Institute for Environment, Education and Entrepreneurship (iE3).
$1M in Northern Ontario Grants for Sault College
Sault College’s Institute for Environment, Education and Entrepreneurship (iE3) was designed to increase college and industry collaboration on applied research and development projects. It will house programs in the natural environment, information and communications technology sector, and geographic information systems. By providing a state-of-the-art facility, iE3 will support businesses and entrepreneurs as they commercialize new services, products, and processes.
Prior to the funding from the Northern Ontario Development Fund, Sault College received an investment of $5M from the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, to establish iE3 at Sault College.
The iE3 Institute will act as a space to foster entrepreneurship within the campus and prepare the next generation of skilled professionals to work in prominent sectors such as forestry, renewable energy, agriculture, wildlife resource management, and water.
$1M in research and development funding will help Sault College purchase specialized equipment to grow innovation, benefiting businesses, students, and industry throughout northern Ontario.
Equipment purchased will include drones, smart grid technologies, workstations, geographic positioning systems, lab tables and chairs, 3D printers, security systems, digital signage, and data servers and storage. Northern Ontario funding will also contribute to the iE3 Institute creating an additional five full-time jobs for technicians and faculty and 10 part-time positions.
A highlight of iE3 will be a flexible lab space with movable parts to segment the area into smaller labs. If the school is collaborating on a project with a private company, a part of the space can be divided off for the company to use for the duration of the project, while the remaining space will still be available for students. There will also be multimedia meeting rooms available for collaboration with companies.
Northern Ontario Development Program: Funding for Innovation
The Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor) supports regional economic development through one of their programs, the Northern Ontario Development Program (NODP). NODP promotes job creation, economic diversification, and sustainable, self-reliant communities in Northern Ontario.
Eligible projects may receive repayable funding for up to 33% of a project’s eligible capital costs and up to 50% of non-capital costs.
The program supports projects that enhance business growth and competitiveness, sustainable community economic development, and facilitate innovation throughout northern Ontario.
Small and medium-sized enterprises, not-for-profit organizations, and municipal organizations, research institutions, municipalities, and community development organizations are eligible for Northern Ontario Development Program funding.
Academic institutions interested in learning how government funding can increase current profitability, economic activity, and employment, please download Mentor Works’ Canadian Business Funding Guide White Paper.
