Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation; Supporting Economic Recovery for SMEs through Sustainability, Profitability and Growth

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The Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) is an established and highly functioning network of eight post-secondary institutions designed to support small- and medium- sized enterprises in the manufacturing sector across southern Ontario. SONAMI's mission is to create a one-stop shop, providing these businesses with access to faculty, students, equipment and facilities to help them innovate and create new products and processes. SONAMI has conducted an analysis of its current impact and the broader state of advanced manufacturing in southern Ontario. Through this work, including an extensive third-party industry survey, interviews with economic development offices, industry partners and industry associations, SONAMI has identified four strategic sectors for targeted growth. Additional inputs for the selected sectors include current manufacturing strengths of the region, forecasted need, transferrable technology and skills, as well as a recognition of our SONAMI members' current strengths and future growth plans. These sectors - transportation, energy systems, medical devices, and food processing - have been identified for targeted growth of the network's capacity and activities. The Applied Research and Technology Partnership Grant (ARTP) will allow SONAMI to invest in these four strategic sectors and deepen the network's role contributing to the innovation ecosystem for southern Ontario's advanced manufacturing. All the projects' objectives are designed to result in new products, processes, and services, commercialized or adopted by the SMEs. Through the ARTP Grant SONAMI will conduct at least 42 applied research projects with industry partners in the four targeted sectors. These 42 projects will be assessed through a triple lens of sustainability, growth, and profitability, to best support the economic recovery for SMEs. ARTP SONAMI projects will need to both fit within a targeted sector as well as align to the following three criteria: 1) Sustainability: Projects will focus on achieving environmental and clean-technology solutions for SMEs.2) Profitability: Projects will support the need to increase profitability with process and supply-chain optimization and enhancing solutions for SMEs that have pivoted to made-in-Canada solutions. 3) Growth: Projects will build capabilities and knowledge around supporting employment and developing commercialized products to open local and global markets for SMEs.