Government of Canada Supports Innovation in Southern Ontario

MARKHAM, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 22, 2011) - Sixteen businesses will work with Seneca College to develop new technologies, help conduct research and bring ideas to market, thanks to an investment from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Today, Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, and Chungsen Leung, Member of Parliament for Willowdale, announced new partnerships between Seneca College and small- and medium-sized businesses.

"These agreements allow local businesses to work with researchers at Seneca College on developing new ideas and bringing those new products to Canadians, which will be good for the economy in Markham and the region," said Minister Goodyear. "Our government is committed to supporting the people, communities and businesses of southern Ontario."

Last year, under FedDev Ontario's Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative, Seneca College was approved for a contribution of up to $750,000 to partner with small- and medium-sized enterprises on activities such as applied research, engineering design, technology development, product testing, and certification. The support provided will create new economic opportunities and help to grow Canada's businesses to be more innovative and competitive.

"We recognize that innovation holds the key to long-term economic stability for southern Ontario, and for all of Canada," said MP Leung. "Our government is working to make the most of our opportunities to innovate, adapt and grow, and secure a prosperous future for the region."

"Seneca has partnered with innovative small and medium-sized businesses from across southern Ontario to bridge the gap between research and commercialization," said Seneca College President David Agnew. "This funding provides great opportunities for our students and faculty to share their expertise with SMEs and contribute to the economic prosperity of the region."

FedDev Ontario was created as part of Canada's Economic Action Plan to support businesses and communities in southern Ontario. Now in its second year of operation, the Agency has launched a number of initiatives to create a Southern Ontario Advantage and place the region in a strong position to compete in the global economy. These initiatives are designed to support businesses and other organizations through partnerships and investments in skills and training; innovation; research and development; and increased productivity. To learn more, please visit www.feddevontario.gc.ca or call 1-866-593-5505.

For more information on the Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative and Seneca College partners, please refer to the backgrounder.

BACKGROUNDER

Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative – Seneca College

The Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative is designed to bridge the gap between research and commercialization between Ontario's post-secondary academic institutions and small- and medium-sized enterprises. FedDev Ontario approved Seneca College for a contribution of up to $750,000 to partner with small- and medium-sized enterprises on activities such as applied research, engineering design, technology development, product testing, and certification.

Seneca College is pleased to be collaborating with the following companies.

Air Molded Plastics (Richmond Hill)

With more than 20 years of experience in extrusion blow molding, Air Molded Plastics is recognized as a leader in the production of custom plastic blow molded items such as containers, automotive parts, and cases. This collaboration with the Centre for Advanced Technologies at Seneca College involves undertaking a thorough analysis of structure, flow and heat transfer using simulation software; developing an A1 mold prototype of a scaled panel and a connector for a hot water molded modular solar panel for pool and domestic water preheating. The ease of assembly and low manufacturing costs of this product will help Air Molded Plastics increase its revenues and profits, and is expected to create full-time jobs. More information is available at http://02a7f9d.netsolhost.com/airmolded/index-2.html

Argonault Corporation (Toronto)

Argonault is an emerging company that is bringing to market adaptable solutions for people with complex mobility requirements. At present, the company is engineering a multifunctional Power Wheel Chair. Argonault's project with the Centre for Advanced Technologies at Seneca College will involve researching, proposing and engineering a tracking system to fit in and function with the Power Wheel Chair. This project should help Argonault get a few steps closer to commercializing this innovative product, which will not only benefit people with disabilities but also increase Argonault's revenue and generate full-time jobs. More information is available at www.argonault.com

Jana Laboratories Inc. (Aurora)

With more than 45 years of experience, Jana Laboratories, the premier piping systems knowledge solutions firm in the world, provides value-added solutions to the manufacturers and users of plastic piping systems. This company wields the largest Oxidation Resistance Test and Analysis capacity, and the most sophisticated engineering capability in the world. The objective of the collaborative project with the Centre for Advanced Technologies at Seneca College is to initiate proof of concept of a new pipeline technology including design and construction of specialized test equipment for prototype development. The new technology is one that will improve the performance of plastic piping materials in potable water applications. The total market potential is in the millions of dollars in an area with a projected growth rate of 25 per cent/year. More information is available at http://www.janalab.com

Heaven Fresh Canada Inc. (Toronto)

Founded in 2003 by two Canadians, Heaven Fresh has been promoting the anti-aging and detoxification benefits of pure air and water. Their portable air ionizers and purifiers incorporate new technologies that tackle virtually every indoor pollutant and energize the air with negative ions. This collaboration with the Centre for Advanced Technologies at Seneca College will assist in the development of a digital CAD model air purifier. It will be able to house Heaven Fresh's Nano-technology filter for maximum efficiency to get rid of a wide spectrum of indoor air borne pollutants. Selling this product online and through major retail outlets, Heaven Fresh estimates to increase its global revenue and eventually create a number of full-time jobs in manufacturing and research and development in Ontario. More information is available at www.heavenfresh.ca

RND Limited (London)

RND Limited is a start-up company that is developing a new product called the Workbike. The advantage of this innovative product is that it provides the user a form of exercise while performing chores in a much more environmentally friendly manner. The aim of the collaborative work between RND Ltd. and the Centre for Advanced Technologies at Seneca College is to assist the company in developing the first prototype of this product including its hydraulics system. Upon the completion of this project, RND Ltd. will be able to continue the development toward a marketable product for eventual commercialization. Based on market studies and projected revenue, they estimate that approximately 15 full-time jobs will be created once the product has been launched

Siamons International – Planet People (Toronto)

Planet People offers high performance cleaning solutions made from 100 per cent non-toxic and ecologically sustainable ingredients. One of its main brands, IQ, is a household cleaner that features small, no-mess refill concentrate cartridges that reduce plastic and landfill use by 80 per cent. Planet People's project with the Centre for Advanced Technologies at Seneca College will involve re-designing packaging for the IQ products which will reduce manufacturing costs and is expected to increase both revenue growth and profit margins. Planet People expects that following this project, IQ branded cleaners will become a major strategic element in the company's growth plans. More information is available at www.planetpeopleco.com

International Club Network Limited (ICN) (Toronto )

Through the Privileged Play program of International Club Network (ICN), the largest alliance of independent private and daily fee clubs in the world, Privileged Play's members can access a growing number of premier daily fee golf facilities and other leisure and travel opportunities throughout Canada, the U.S. and U.K. In order to improve ICN's understanding, communication, and relationship with its customers, this company will use the particular strengths of Seneca College's School of Information and Communications Technology for the development of a marketing automation and business intelligence software platform. This will enable ICN to develop effective marketing programs for prospects and to increase renewals of existing members. More information is available at www.privplay.com

Bronskill & Co. Inc. (Toronto)

With more than 26 years of experience in Event Marketing Environmental Design and Interactive Entertainment Industries, Bronskill & Co. is a leader in designing and developing experiential based destinations and programs. This company is collaborating with Seneca College to build a multiplatform educational game, based on the fundamental principles of Mendelian genetics. The skill and experience of Seneca College faculty and students in cross-platform and mobile game development using HTML 5 technologies, along with award-winning expertise in animation, provide the basis for Bronskill to deliver this next generation educational game, to be made available on the web and mobile devices. This project will increase the overall profitability of the company and improve its competitiveness within its industry. More information is available at www.bronskill.com

Blindside Networks Inc. (Ottawa)

Blindside Networks provides commercial support for BigBlueButton, an open source web conferencing system for distance education. This company helps educational institutions and commercial companies to deliver a high-quality learning experience to remote students. Using the expertise of the Seneca Centre for Development of Open Technology (CDOT), and working with Blindside Networks, Seneca College will develop a prototype of mobile software to support interactive education collaboration (such as interactive polling and feedback) with teachers and students in the classroom. As a result, it should improve the interactions that teachers are able to achieve with their students, and thus increase the competitive advantage of BigBlueButton with colleges and universities. More information is available at http://www.blindsidenetworks.com

Bespoke I/O (Toronto)

Bespoke I/O specializes in the customization, configuration and deployment of Mozilla's Firefox web browser for large-scale professional environments. Through their Bespoke Software Deployment Service (BeSDS), their aim is to provide their customers with a secure, stable and standards-compliant platform for modern web development and a low-cost migration path away from legacy intranet software. In collaboration with Seneca's Centre for the Development of Open Technology (CDOT), Bespoke I/O is also developing a Blackberry application that will provide mobile corporate users access to their bookmarks, desktop browser and web-based information, all without sacrificing corporate IT requirements for security, stability and manageability. This technology does not exist in the modern enterprise environment, and as a result, Bespoke I/O will have a competitive advantage thereby increasing its revenues. More information is available at www.bespokeio.com

Unis Lumin (Oakville)

UNIS LUMIN helps its customers succeed by providing business value through innovative and effective technology solutions. It's goal is to increase customers' ability to be more efficient and competitive. For over twenty years, this company has been helping customers adopt and use information technologies to improve their businesses. UNIS LUMIN is collaborating with Seneca College to design and build an e-learning module for enhanced technology adoption. The module will incorporate a game design and interactive principles to create a high level of engagement and learning for the user. With this product, UNIS LUMIN anticipates a 10 per cent growth of their existing subscription services and the creation of several long term, full-time positions. You can read more about UNIS LUMIN at http://www.unislumin.com

NexJ Systems (Toronto)

NexJ is a leading provider of enterprise private cloud software, delivering customer relationship management (CRM) solutions for financial services, insurance, and healthcare. In collaboration with Seneca College, the goal of the NexJ project is to design and build adapters for their "Express" server in order to broaden platform support. Through this project, clients will be able to develop interfaces that look better and function in a more user-friendly way on smartphones, tablets and desktops which will contribute to broader market penetration and increased sales. These improved development tools will also increase user productivity and generate greater revenue. The growth of the business will then lead to the creation of new full-time jobs. More information is available at www.nexj.com

Williams McGuire AML Inc. (Markham)

Williams McGuire AML protects their clients and their country from the harms of terrorist financing, money laundering and other financial crimes through tailored and informed risk and regulatory compliance solutions. In order to achieve their mission, they analyze risk, create effective controls and assess existing compliance regimes and controls. Williams McGuire AML Inc. and Seneca College will collaborate to develop a descriptive and predictive database that is expected to be employed by financial institutions as a tool to aid in the prevention of financial crimes. This project will include the establishment of a predictive and dynamic model for financial crime prevention, detection and deterrence. More information is available at www.amlcompliance.ca

P. Shore & Associates Inc. (Toronto)

Penny Shore has more than 25 years of experience publishing mass market consumer educational books and multimedia materials. The aim of the collaborative project with Seneca College is the development of a prototype financial planning model and program. The final product will be marketed to governments and mid-large sized employers to help employees manage their finances. P. Shore & Associates anticipate that this product will substantially increase their revenue opportunities and create a number of full-time equivalent jobs. More information is available at www.shorepublishing.ca

Tertec Enterprises Inc. (Markham)

Tertec Enterprises Inc. is a systems design house with more than 25 years of experience in the design, construction, implementation and deployment of real-time systems. Tertec has created, designed and produced Mon Ami to assist those with special needs and the aging population. This product enhances the quality of life, supports caregivers, reinforces active aging, and allows its users to have more independent and structured lives. Seneca College will collaborate with Tertec to run a pilot to determine the efficacy of utilizing the Mon Ami system for seniors who are able to live independently through the aid of community support organizations. This pilot is expected to gather significant user feedback and contribute to the optimization and commercialization of the product as a remote support system for organizations that provide home assistance. More information is available at www.mymonami.com

Nedlaw Living Walls Inc. (Breslau)

Nedlaw Living Wall improves indoor spaces by cleaning the air using beneficial microbes and plants, and produces high quality indoor air in an energy-efficient, effective and aesthetic manner. Since the cost of maintaining an adequate indoor environment is very high, Nedlaw and Seneca College are working together to determine if biofiltration living walls are an effective alternative in the residential market. As part of the project, the system's performance will be quantified in terms of energy consumption and the biofiltration living walls' design will be refined for broader range of applications. The potential for increased revenues and job creation are significant. More information is available at www.naturaire.com