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Fleming College receives federal funding for multidisciplinary water monitoring and detection research

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Peterborough ON – (April 5, 2022) – Fleming College has been awarded a two-year, $641,800 Applied Research and Technology Partnership (ARTP) grant from the federal College and Community Innovation program. The funding was announced today, by the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. 

Over the last 15+ years, Fleming College’s Centre for Advancement of Water and Wastewater Technologies (CAWT) has been working with the public and private sectors to solve water-related issues and to develop innovative water/wastewater technologies. For this two-year ARTP initiative, the CAWT and Fleming College’s two new applied research centres (the Centre for Advancement in Mechatronics and Industrial Internet of Things (CAMIIT) and the Centre for Innovative Aquaculture Production (CIAP)) will collaborate on industry-led applied research projects to develop technologies focused on the detection, monitoring, or surveillance of contaminants, as well as other water quality parameters.  

“The ARTP funding presents us with an amazing opportunity to combine the expertise and strengths of our research centres and work towards a common goal of cleaner water,” said Maureen Adamson, President of Fleming College. “Because of the multidisciplinary collaborations made possible through this funding, our researchers and students will greatly expand their knowledge and experience while supporting our industry partners and contributing to local innovation.”  

The funding will be used for research projects with partners from several industries across Canada, including aquaculture, municipal wastewater, pharmaceutical production, and more. 

“Fleming College has become a hub for companies looking to use or develop advanced monitoring and sensing technologies for water and wastewater applications,” said Brett Goodwin, Fleming College Vice-President, Applied Research and Innovation. “Water and wastewater issues affect nearly all sectors and industries. Despite the distinctive specialties of our three research centres, we found that through water, synergies exist between our industry partners. For the ARTP initiative, each of our centres has an important role to play within these projects.” 

For the industry-led projects, the CAWT will provide overall expertise and analysis and apply technologies in bench-scale and full-scale pilot settings. CAMIIT researchers, with expertise in sensors, wireless connectivity, and advanced manufacturing, will work directly with partners on the development of technologies that use sophisticated algorithms, smart sensors, edge computing, and remote monitoring. CIAP researchers will work with technology developers and end-users in the aquaculture sector who are looking for solutions to water quality issues and contaminants that can negatively affect fish production. 

The Applied Research and Technology Partnership (ARTP) grants are made available through the Tri-agency College and Community Innovation (CCI) program, managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.