Caplan - Canada at the Summit - (Page 5)

new KNOWLEDGE for a new economy CANADA AT THE SUM MIT For three decades, colleges have partnered with developing countries to provide the advanced skills needed to grow businesses, while building the entrepreneurial capacity to drive global economic success and therefore expand markets for Canadian products. International partnerships also offer Canadian students learning experiences abroad and opportunities for international students to study in Canada. As the most trade dependent economy on the planet, international engagement is a necessary condition for Canada’s continued prosperity. BREAKING THE MOULD NAIT “As an applied research institution, NAIT’s core focus is developing practical solutions for real-world issues.” The new chair will develop applied, real-world solutions that can be integrated within current and future oil sands operations in the form of new processes and technologies. The decision on what research will be done will come from close consultation with industry. At present NAIT has a wide array of existing facilities to take such discoveries and transform them into viable product and services for the marketplace. These include nova NAIT that offers services such as the Prototype Development Program and the NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre. All these resources will further strengthen the college’s capability to fulfill its mandate which in President Shaw’s words is “As an applied research institution, NAIT’s core focus is developing practical solutions for realworld issues.” Through a wide variety of partnerships, Canadian colleges, institutes of technology, polytechnics, university-colleges, and cégeps are positioned to contribute effectively to global sustainability. The recent announcement of the Ledcor Group investing $1.5 million to establish the Ledcor Group Applied Research Chair in Oil Sands Environmental Sustainability at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) may usher in a new era in applied research at Canadian community colleges. For community colleges, it represents two significant breakthroughs. The first is that community colleges have become worthy recipients of such a generous gift. NAIT president Sam Shaw firmly believes that there are more to come. He expects possibly three more such chairs at his institution by the end of the year. Second, endowments may also expand the role of community colleges from simply accelerating the implementation of new technology from external sources to becoming an originator of intellectual property themselves. applied researCh for tomorrow’s innovation NAIT’s applied research programs are helping entrepreneurs and industry partners use innovation to build competitive advantage. WORLD-CLASS RESULTS Our business incubators and Entrepreneur in Residence program enable inventors to turn their ideas into profitable ventures. At the NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre, clients use advanced technologies to develop and test prototypes and explore ways to enhance productivity. And the recently-announced Ledcor Group Applied Research Chair in Oilsands Environmental Sustainability paves the way for new practices and processes aimed at improving sustainable operations in Alberta’s oilsands. Learn more about NAIT applied research: www.novanait.ca 11762 – 106 Street nw, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada t5g 2r1 www.newknowledge.ca http://www.novanait.ca http://www.newknowledge.ca

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Caplan - Canada at the Summit