RDC and Boeing investments help create new engineering facility
By Jackey Locke and Meaghan Whelan |
March 28, 2011
Researchers at Memorial University of Newfoundland will soon be better positioned to respond to collaborative research and development (R&D) opportunities with industry partners thanks to $723,750 in funding announced recently by the Research & Development Corporation of Newfoundland and Labrador (RDC).
New specialized R&D tools and scientific equipment will be purchased for the creation of the Mechatronic Development and Prototyping Facility at the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. The investment from RDC complements funding from The Boeing Company to Memorial for research on autonomous systems. RDC's funding is provided under the Research Tools and Equipment element of the corporation's April 2010 competitive call for R&D infrastructure proposals.
"Investing in critical technical and scientific equipment is vital to strengthening this province's R&D capacity," said Glenn Janes, chief executive officer, RDC. "Today's announcement not only supports an identified R&D infrastructure need, but also a significant industrial partnership for this province."
Mechatronics is the integration of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering to improve the design and functionality of intelligent systems and useful products. The new facility will include the purchase of equipment to provide important technology critical to future product development and growth, including the promotion of improved designs, shorter design cycles and lower costs. The equipment will provide new capabilities that are not available to local researchers and companies within the province. This equipment has been identified as vital to future product development and growth in the province.
Investments from The Boeing Company to Memorial University are in line with Canada's Industrial & Regional Benefits (IRB) policy and are an integral part of Boeing's IRB program. Canada's IRB policy requires prime contractors such as Boeing to make investments in the Canadian economy as a result of winning defence and security contracts with the Government of Canada.
"Boeing continues to deliver on its promise to invest in the regions where it does business," said Gwen Kopsie, director of International Strategic Partnerships for Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "For nearly 100 years we have been a vital partner to Canada. We remain committed to working with local education and research institutions to advance the capabilities of Canadian industry to continue competing in the global aerospace and defence market and providing long-term, high-value jobs to Canada's work force."
The new facility will be a key component supporting collaborative R&D between Memorial University and The Boeing Company. It will also serve the specialized needs of researchers and other industrial partners whose focus is Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles.
"The new facility will enable researchers at Memorial to quickly manufacture functional, mechatronic systems that are suitable for deployment on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and other autonomous platforms. The goal is to achieve a significant reduction in the product development time of advanced sensor technology and other intelligent systems that will ultimately improve UAV autonomy and reliability," said Dr. Nicholas Krouglicof, an associate professor in Memorial's Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the principal investigator responsible for the new facility.
"The investments made by RDC and The Boeing Company will open up new and important collaborative opportunities, including those with local companies whose current and future successes are inextricably linked to advanced R&D," said Dr. Christopher Loomis, vice-president (research) of Memorial University. "Our participation in and our contributions to their successes will be enhanced significantly by the new Mechatronic Development and Prototyping Facility."
The new facility is set to open in late 2011.
New specialized R&D tools and scientific equipment will be purchased for the creation of the Mechatronic Development and Prototyping Facility at the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. The investment from RDC complements funding from The Boeing Company to Memorial for research on autonomous systems. RDC's funding is provided under the Research Tools and Equipment element of the corporation's April 2010 competitive call for R&D infrastructure proposals.
"Investing in critical technical and scientific equipment is vital to strengthening this province's R&D capacity," said Glenn Janes, chief executive officer, RDC. "Today's announcement not only supports an identified R&D infrastructure need, but also a significant industrial partnership for this province."
Mechatronics is the integration of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering to improve the design and functionality of intelligent systems and useful products. The new facility will include the purchase of equipment to provide important technology critical to future product development and growth, including the promotion of improved designs, shorter design cycles and lower costs. The equipment will provide new capabilities that are not available to local researchers and companies within the province. This equipment has been identified as vital to future product development and growth in the province.
Investments from The Boeing Company to Memorial University are in line with Canada's Industrial & Regional Benefits (IRB) policy and are an integral part of Boeing's IRB program. Canada's IRB policy requires prime contractors such as Boeing to make investments in the Canadian economy as a result of winning defence and security contracts with the Government of Canada.
"Boeing continues to deliver on its promise to invest in the regions where it does business," said Gwen Kopsie, director of International Strategic Partnerships for Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "For nearly 100 years we have been a vital partner to Canada. We remain committed to working with local education and research institutions to advance the capabilities of Canadian industry to continue competing in the global aerospace and defence market and providing long-term, high-value jobs to Canada's work force."
The new facility will be a key component supporting collaborative R&D between Memorial University and The Boeing Company. It will also serve the specialized needs of researchers and other industrial partners whose focus is Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles.
"The new facility will enable researchers at Memorial to quickly manufacture functional, mechatronic systems that are suitable for deployment on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and other autonomous platforms. The goal is to achieve a significant reduction in the product development time of advanced sensor technology and other intelligent systems that will ultimately improve UAV autonomy and reliability," said Dr. Nicholas Krouglicof, an associate professor in Memorial's Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the principal investigator responsible for the new facility.
"The investments made by RDC and The Boeing Company will open up new and important collaborative opportunities, including those with local companies whose current and future successes are inextricably linked to advanced R&D," said Dr. Christopher Loomis, vice-president (research) of Memorial University. "Our participation in and our contributions to their successes will be enhanced significantly by the new Mechatronic Development and Prototyping Facility."
The new facility is set to open in late 2011.