The University of Windsor’s Institute for Diagnostic Imaging Research is getting $5.5 million to help solve real-world industry problems.
The funding is through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada's Collaborative Research and Development program and partners
The initiative involves industry partners Bombardier, Ford Canada, Canadian ElectroCoating Ltd./Narmco, Enwin Energy and the Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada.
“Through negotiation with all of our partners we’ve been able to use the same technology to find ways for each of the companies involved to benefit from non-destructive testing of materials and the use of coatings to protect materials from degradation,” said Dr. Roman Maev, the Director General of UWindsor’s Institute for Diagnostic Imaging Research (IDIR).
“Being able to diagnose and fix flaws in machinery on-site will also save time and money. This is the ideal – clustering the technology so it serves many needs is a more efficient use of research resources and it benefits the most users. This project is unique because each industrial partner has its own independent interests, priorities, IP, and management style. It’s a complicated project arrangement that requires vast knowledge and experience, as well as the faith and cooperation of all partners.”
Officials say it will provide variations on the same technology to solve industry challenges specific to each company.
The project has received the largest CRD funding package in UWindsor's history and is unique in that companies across varied industry sectors are collaborating to share the benefits of this knowledge transfer.
The CRD provides funding to support academic-industry research partnerships based on cash and in-kind contributions from industry partners. In addition to monetary contributions, companies can offer research support by providing space, expertise, and the use of tools and equipment, among other things.
“NSERC is proud to support this Collaborative Research and Development project that supports strong R&D collaboration and dynamic interchange between academia and partners,” said Dr. Marc Fortin, Vice-President, Research Partnerships, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
“Achieving the goals of this project under a cluster model will deliver versatile solutions which will help address advanced manufacturing needs and provide benefits across industries, as exemplified by the diversity of the partners.”
