February 28, 2013
The following is being distributed at the request of the Research & Development Corporation:
RDC Invests $1.7 Million in Academic-led R&D in Newfoundland and Labrador
Deepwater seabed surveying, navigation and control systems for field robots, and improving cyber security measures are among the 10 academic-led research and development projects receiving more than $1.7 million in total funding from the Research & Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador (RDC). Today’s investment leverages more than $10 million from others sources including the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Statoil.
“Leading-edge R&D is a key contributor to Newfoundland and Labrador’s growing and robust economy,” said the Honourable Keith Hutchings, Minister Responsible for the Research & Development Corporation. “The combination of our abundance of natural resources, world-class academic institutions and geographic position means this province has a competitive advantage when it comes to advancing research and development that industry needs.”
Researchers from College of the North Atlantic’s Ridge Road campus, Memorial University’s Faculty of Science, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Marine Institute and C-CORE are receiving funding in today’s announcement.
“Increasing R&D activity in our academic community continues to lead to innovative technological solutions and commercialization opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Glenn Janes, Chief Executive Officer, RDC. “Whether it is research focused on ocean engineering, resource exploration and extraction, or advanced manufacturing, our province’s academic institutions and their researchers continue to play a significant role designing and engineering some of the most sophisticated tools and technologies in the world.”
RDC’s funding is provided through a number of academic programs designed to increase R&D capacity in Newfoundland and Labrador, including GeoEXPLORE, IgniteR&D, CollaborativeR&D and LeverageR&D.
“The funding programs offered by RDC are essential to Memorial’s research landscape,” said Dr. Gary Kachanoski, President and Vice-chancellor, Memorial University of Newfoundland. “RDC investments enable our researchers to carry out projects that advance strategic areas of research, contribute to our understanding of our world and position Memorial as a university of distinction.”
These projects are working towards the reduction of seabed impacts related to bottom trawls, an increased understanding of the behaviour of ice, while working and operating in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, and the transformation of shipping containers into dormitories for use as student housing or as disaster relief shelters.
“It is through the support of our funding partners that we are able to take great strides in developing new systems and technologies,” said Ann Marie Vaughan, President and CEO of College of the North Atlantic. “The benefits associated with the college’s Dormatecture project could have long lasting effects on the housing and accommodations sector around the world.”
One project funded by RDC today aims to enhance the level of detail and accessibility of seabed surveys using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle. The project, led by Dr. Andrew Vardy, an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science in Memorial’s Faculty of Science, could be used for environmental monitoring and offshore exploration.
“AUVs are most useful in gathering data from inaccessible areas such as underneath the Arctic ice shelf or in very deep water,” said Dr. Vardy. “The support of RDC has been critical to the project and has enabled us to execute the project's objectives while providing a rich training environment for undergraduate and graduate students.”
An overview of the projects receiving funding from RDC is contained in
the backgrounder of this release, while more detailed project descriptions
are available online at www.rdc.org.
The Research & Development Corporation (RDC) is a provincial Crown
corporation responsible for improving Newfoundland and Labrador’s R&D
performance. RDC works with R&D stakeholders including business, academia
and government agencies and departments. For more information about RDC, go
to www.rdc.org.
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Media contacts:
| Diana Quinton Director of Communications Department of Innovation, Business and Rural Development 709-729-4570, 631-8155 dianaquinton@gov.nl.ca |
Jeff Green Manager, Marketing & Communications Research & Development Corporation 709-758-0973, 691-8892 jeffsgreen@rdc.org |
| Meaghan Whelan Communications Co-ordinator Office of the Vice-President (Research) Memorial University of Newfoundland 709-864-4073, 687-9243 mcwhelan@mun.ca |
Roger Hulan Communications Specialist College of the North Atlantic 709-643-7938 Roger.Hulan@cna.nl.ca |
BACKGROUNDER
Research Projects Supported through RDC’s Academic Programs
A total of $1,760,355 is being invested in the following 10 research projects at Memorial University of Newfoundland and College of the North Atlantic. Funding is received through RDC’s academic programs: LeverageR&D, IgniteR&D, CollaborativeR&D and GeoEXPLORE and leverages $10,064,159.
LeverageR&D
LeverageR&D attracts public funding for academic-led research and
development (R&D) in areas relevant to both industry and the Newfoundland
and Labrador economy.
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Responsive AUV Localization and Mapping (REALM), $275,000 from RDC
Dr. Andrew Vardy, Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University - Employment-Related Geographic Mobility in the Canadian Context, $500,000
from RDC
Dr. Barbara Neis, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, Memorial University - Coordinated Control and Navigation of Field Robots, $71,000 from RDC
Dr. George Mann, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University - Seismic Modeling and Inversion, $215,368 from RDC
Dr. John Whitehead, Department of Physics and Physical Oceanography, Faculty of Science - Reducing Seabed Impacts of Bottom Trawls (AIF Project), $75,000 from RDC
Dr. Paul Winger, Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources, Marine Institute
IgniteR&D
IgniteR&D attracts highly-qualified academic researchers and builds new
research and development (R&D) capacity in areas relevant to both industry
and the Newfoundland and Labrador economy.
- Computational Modelling of Ionic Liquid Extraction of Sulfur Contaminants
from Crude Oil, $95,037 from RDC
Dr. Christopher Rowley, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Memorial University - Dormatecture – Sustainable Container Living, $99,950 from RDC
Craig Greene, College of the North Atlantic - Smart Grid and its Cyber Security, $99,000 from RDC
Dr. Hamid Usefi, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, Memorial University
CollaborativeR&D increases research and development (R&D) partnerships and collaboration between academia and industry in areas relevant to the Newfoundland and Labrador economy.
- Compressive Ice Failure Mechanics, $300,000 from RDC
Dr. Ian Jordaan, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University and Centre for Arctic Research and Development, C-CORE
GeoEXPLORE
GeoEXPLORE is a three-year directed research program, intended to enhance
geoscience R&D capacity, collaboration, and industry innovation in support
of mineral and petroleum exploration and development in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
- North Atlantic Plate Reconstruction Project, $30,000 from RDC
Dr. Jeremy Hall, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Memorial University
2013 02 28 3:30 p.m.