Peterborough’s Fleming College to receive $2.9M in applied research funding

Fleming College in Peterborough will receive nearly $2.9 million in research funding to improve water pipeline management.

The announcement of $2,899,974 in research funding through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program, was made Thursday at Georgian College in Barrie as part of a national announcement by Minister of Science and Sport Kirsty Duncan.

Fleming College will be home to Canada’s Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Predictive Water Network Analytics — a field that aims to solve critical challenges faced by cities. Led by Reza Moslemi, the proposed program will partner with companies to develop a “reliable predictive failure detection system.”

The system will support municipalities through pipeline asset management, planning and maintenance services.

“We are proud to have some of the top researchers in Canada carrying out research that empowers local and regional businesses to solve problems that are global in reach and relevance,” stated Fleming College president Maureen Adamson.

The research aims to expand market opportunities for service providers, improve protection of shared water resources and save millions of dollars for municipalities.

Fleming College’s Centre for Advancement of Water and Wastewater Technologies, which became an NSERC Technology Access Centre (TAC) in 2014, was also awarded a five-year funding renewal to continue its water research. The CAWT is at Fleming’s Frost campus in Lindsay which helps develop and test innovative water and wastewater technologies.

“At a time when water-related regulations across Canada are becoming more stringent, these funds will advance the CAWT’s capacity to provide the innovation support services sought after by the water and wastewater industry,” said Adamson. “The awards solidify Fleming’s well-established reputation as a leader in water and wastewater applied research.”

Funding from the CCI Program Applied Research Tools and Instruments grant will be used to acquire laboratory equipment that will advance the centre’s service offerings.

WATCH: Municipality of Brighton calls on federal government to change how water levels are managed on Lake Ontario

1:38 Municipality of Brighton calls on federal government to change how water levels are managed on Lake Ontario