Fleming College to benefit from $12M federal investment in Southern Ontario Water Consortium
City of Kawartha Lakes, ON (Jan. 15, 2016) — Fleming College is part of a group of post-secondary institutions with expertise in water technology that will participate in a number of industry-led collaborative projects as a result of $12 million in federal government funding to the Southern Ontario Water Consortium (SOWC).
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the funding to the SOWC (through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario), at the University of Waterloo on Thursday, Jan. 14. The SOWC is made up of 10 post-secondary institutions working to advance clean and innovative water technologies. Fleming, home to the Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment (CAWT), is the only community college member of the SOWC.
It is anticipated that the funding to the SOWC will provide partnership opportunities for approximately 90 businesses and non-profit organizations to work on 80 collaborative projects. The projects are aimed at helping these private and non-profit sector partners develop and commercialize new water-related technologies, at the same time as creating/maintaining up to 520 jobs across southern Ontario.
Building on the over ten years’ experience that Fleming College and the CAWT have in providing applied research and development services to the water and wastewater sectors, Fleming will participate in several of the program’s collaborative projects.
“Fleming College and the Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment are proud to bring their experience in water and wastewater applied research to the companies participating in the SOWC’s Advancing Water Technology program,” said Dr. Brent Wootton, CAWT Director & Senior Scientist. “We have worked with many of the innovative and exciting technologies that have come out of southern Ontario and we look forward to helping more local companies reach the global market through our applied R&D and pre-commercialization services.”
The CAWT hopes to begin working on the first of these collaborative projects within the next few weeks.
About the CAWT
Established in 2002, the Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment (CAWT) at Fleming College’s School of Environmental and Natural Resource Science in Lindsay, Ontario, is an internationally recognized research institute committed to excellence in water and wastewater research and education.
About Fleming College
Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 100 full-time programs in Arts and Heritage, Business, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, General Arts and Science, Health and Wellness, Justice and Community Development, Skilled Trades and Technology, and Continuing Education. Fleming College has more than 5,800 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and 68,000 alumni.
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Media, for more information please contact:
Laura Copeland
Communications Officer
laura.copeland@flemingcollege.ca
705.749.5530 x 1370
