Tech with a conscience: How excellence in strategic research at Ontario Tech is driving the future

Beyond supporting student success and driving a competitive economy, Ontario universities play a vital role in helping communities and the province find solutions to big challenges.

In the two decades since Ontario Tech University joined Ontario’s post-secondary sector (opening its doors in 2003), the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)-based university has rapidly established a strong foundation for impactful research and a track record headlined by hundreds of industry and community partnerships.

While Ontario Tech’s research growth was very strong throughout its formative years, the university’s research imprint has accelerated substantially since 2018, doubling in size to more than $26 million annually.

New federal funding for 30 Ontario Tech-led research projects

This summer, there’s further evidence of Ontario Tech’s powerful upward research trajectory after Canada’s research funding Tri-agencies announced a further $5.03 million in new grants for 30 new multidisciplinary projects being led by dozens of the university’s faculty experts (*see project list below), supported by partners across the broader community, and in some cases, academic colleagues from around the world.

The support for research exploring solutions to pressing societal problems comes from the  Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC),  Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the  Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).   

Ontario Tech’s capacity for advancing discovery and applying new knowledge runs deep and wide

Beyond Ontario Tech’s compelling and distinct array of market-driven undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs, the university has emerged as a vital research hub and cluster of expertise anchoring the eastern flank of the GTA. Ontario Tech’s academic roster includes 11 Canada Research Chairs, 11 Ontario Tech Research Excellence Chairs, and its research infrastructure boasts more than 80 specialized labs and super-modern facilities.

Hundreds of top academics from across Canada and around the globe call Ontario Tech home. Collectively they make a huge contribution to new knowledge, all while helping drive new regional economic growth and development. These subject matter experts are equally committed to delivering the best teaching and learning to Ontario Tech’s more than 11,000 students. In addition, there are now more than 29,000 Ontario Tech graduates making an impact in workplaces everywhere.

Selected recent Ontario Tech University research highlights

• Ontario’s Research University of the Year 2021 and 2022 among the country’s 21 smaller research universities (Research Infosource, January 2022, January 2023).
• Top 200 international ranking among research universities under 50 years old (Times Higher Education, February 2022).
• Establishing the Brilliant Energy Institute (BEI) under the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation (VPRI) (Fall 2021).
• Ontario Tech becomes  Canada’s first International Atomic Energy Agency Collaborating Centre (October 2021).
• 11 new Ontario Tech Research Excellence Chairs, including two BEI Research Excellence Chairs.
• Completion of the Moving Ground Plane and the formal launch of ACE (Automotive Centre of Excellence) as a Core Research Facility housed in the Office of the VPRI.
• The new-build stage of the  Project Arrow Net Zero Emissions Car prototype at Ontario Tech’s ACE.
• 73 per cent increase in Mitacs funding, providing research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students ($2.7 million in 2021-2022). Mitacs is a Canadian non-profit research organization that helps connect academia with industry.
• Establishing of the new Electric Vehicle Battery Centre of Excellence, in partnership with FlexIon.
• Launch of the new pan-university Age with Dignity Research Centre.

Recent Ontario Tech research projects attracting more than $5.03 million in new federal funding (listed by funding category)

Ontario Tech faculty codes

• FBIT – Faculty of Business and Information Technology
• FEAS – Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science
• FEd – Faculty of Education
• FHSc – Faculty of Health Sciences
• FSc – Faculty of Science
• FSSH – Faculty of Social Science and Humanities

Related links 

• NSERC news release (August 29, 2023)
• SSHRC news release (August 29, 2023)
• Archive of  research-related news items at Ontario Tech
• Learn more about research at Ontario Tech University’s  Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation
• Ontario Tech University  Strategic Research Plan 2020-2025

Quote

“The funding of these exciting new research projects further demonstrate Ontario Tech’s evolving leadership role in Canada’s research community . The range of discovery our leading experts will embark upon through this round of federal grants showcases the university’s strategic research priorities, our unwavering commitment to innovation, as well as the robust research ties Ontario Tech enjoys with industry and community partners.”
- Dr. Les Jacobs, Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Ontario Tech University

Media contact

Bryan Oliver
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
289.928.3653 (mobile)
bryan.oliver@ontariotechu.ca