REFLECTIONS ON APPLIED RESEARCH & INNOVATION January - March 2019
Applied Research & Innovation’s focus for the first few months of 2019 was on implementing foundational enablers to reaching our strategic goals. The introduction of new technology tools (Riipen, ARI’s CRM) and the Innovation 360 measurement system expands ARI’s capabilities and positions us ahead of the curve. During the next three months, ARI will collaborate with the broader organization regarding our proposed innovation strategy, complete the CFI grant submissions, and continue to roll-out experiential workshops. ARI is progressing towards building Humber’s applied research culture and furthering our reputation as an innovation leader.
CFI EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST Resilient Smart Cities: Robust City Solutions, Infrastructure and Communications (EoI) $1,000,000 CFI ARI submitted an expression of interest for Humber College to become a living lab to ideate, design and develop solutions for difficult infrastructure challenges. Transforming cities by designing and constructing smart and resilient infrastructure is critical to managing city resources and services and improving public safety when faced with unprecedented emergencies.
NEW ARI TOOL Humber has invested in a one year pilot of Riipen – a technology platform which helps over 130 North American higher education institutions and their educators easily launch, manage, track and report on project-based learning happening in the classroom. Riipen’s key benefit for faculty is its ability to help them design workintegrated-learning projects and match them with suitable industry/community partners. If you’re interested in learning more, please contact ARI’s Partnership Development Manager, Amanda Brown.
INNOVATION 360 MEASUREMENT SURVEY The Smart Factory Adoption and Integration of Smart Factory Solutions (EoI)
$1,000,000 CFI
This project will enable the adoption of smart factory solutions by Canadian manufacturing firms through partnerships with Ontario’s manufacturing firms, in particular SMEs in the GTA, on research and development projects, disseminating knowledge via case studies and best practices to the broader Canadian manufacturing sector, and training of highly qualified personnel on smart factory solutions.
GRANT SUBMISSIONS Multimodal User-Centered Engagement of VR/ AR in Semi-Autonomous Vehicle Platforms $88,562 NSERC ARI and SAT have requested NSERC ARTI funding to purchase user experience infrastructure that will contribute to improving the acceptance of semiautonomous vehicles.
Public Media Access Usability Workshop
$15,000 SSHRC
A faculty-led submission by Steven May (SMSIT), this workshop will provide a space where public television viewers of all ages will be able to gather, try out or refine their online access to public television programming, and flag any barriers.
Creating an innovative and differentiated educational experience is critical in the design of a 21st century institution. To strengthen Humber’s strategy to lead, transform and differentiate, ARI has been working with the Innovation360 Group to assess Humber’s current innovation capabilities and ensure we’re progressing towards a strong innovation culture. The Innovation360 Group specializes in innovation analytics, creating an organizational baseline through their proprietary innovation survey – InnoSurvey® with results being benchmarked against more than 1,000 companies in 62 countries. ARI circulated the InnoSurvey® early this year and is now working on a strategy designed to fit Humber’s capabilities and market position.