Industry Innovation Centre at Niagara (IIC@N)

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Manufacturing is the largest sector contributing to Niagara Regions gross domestic product (GDP), in excessof $2.14 billion in 2012; 16% of the regions GDP is derived through the output of manufacturers.Approximately 1 out of 9 Niagara workers makes his/her living in the manufacturing sector; its share of theregional labour force is a close third only to retail trade and healthcare. There are close to 1,000manufacturing companies in the Niagara Region, and they need to innovate to grow. In order to help Niagaramanufacturers stay strong and thrive in competitive emerging global markets, Niagara College is proposingto expand -- in partnership with local industry, economic development agencies, the Government of Ontario,and NSERC -- the Industry Innovation Centre at Niagara, or IIC@N ("I can"). At IIC@N, companies accessan array of state-of-the-art equipment, expertise and services to support process improvement, productinnovation and commercialization. Demand for Niagara Colleges services in advanced manufacturing andsuccessful projects have come from local companies manufacturing products including sports garments,fishing lures, biotechnology tests and pre-fabricated insulated home panels. IIC@N is an integral and keypart of the Niagara Region innovation ecosystem, and its team of faculty, students and staff from theTechnology and Business programs currently offers two axes of services: Manufacturing TechnologySolutions and Manufacturing Commercialization Solutions, both of them requested by our localmanufacturers. IIC@N is the only regional entity to address both these crucial industry needs.