Five-year $3M grant will support research growth and capacity at Sheridan

Sheridan’s research infrastructure will receive a generous injection of support from the Natural Sciences Engineering and Research Council of Canada (NSERC) over the next five years. 

Sheridan has been awarded $3.25 million through NSERC’s new Mobilize Grant. This grant is intended to support Canadian colleges with flexible funding to acquire necessary resources that help address research priorities in industry, health and not-for-profit community-based organizations. Sheridan’s submission, entitled Accelerating Community Health and Well-Being, will support the research and innovation needs of Sheridan’s communities in three thematic areas: individual physical and mental well-being, vibrant and inclusive communities, and technologies for individual and community well-being. 

“Sheridan is thrilled to be a recipient of NSERC’s new Mobilize Grant. Supporting healthy communities is a key priority for Sheridan, and this aligns with our role as emerging leaders in health innovation applied research. As we grow in research excellence, significant funding like NSERC’s Mobilize will provide us with the tools and resources to ensure we continue generating a tremendous level of impact locally, nationally and internationally,” said Dr. Janet Morrison, Sheridan President and Vice Chancellor.

At Sheridan, Mobilize funding will enable the College to pursue four key objectives: 

1. Grow and diversify Sheridan’s network of external research and innovation partners; 
2. Expand Sheridan's capacity in health and well-being research and innovation; 
3. Increase cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary research to tackle complex partner needs; and 
4. Enhance meaningful student training opportunities in research.

“We heard from our partners that health and well-being are priorities for innovation. The overall focus for this Mobilize funding is one that will enable researchers from all of Sheridan’s Faculties and Centres, across a wide range of disciplines and expertise, to help find answers to the issues that matter most. This Mobilize funding will help us to apply a broad-based, holistic understanding of health and well-being across all dimensions at the individual and community level. We’re absolutely thrilled at this new opportunity to enhance our overall research capacity and accelerate innovation at Sheridan,” said Dr. Vicki Mowat, Director, Research at Sheridan.

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for applied research to improve the health, well-being and resilience of our communities. The NSERC Mobilize grants provide Canadian colleges with flexible funding for research and innovation. I’m pleased that the federal government will be providing Sheridan College with $3 million for applied research to address the needs of our Oakville community and beyond,” said the Honourable Anita Anand, Member of Parliament for Oakville and Minister of National Defence of Canada.

This funding is part of a recent NSERC announcement of more than $76 million for 50 recipients through the new Mobilize grants, providing flexible, long-term funding for college applied research programs to maximize student training and community innovation impacts.

In NSERC’s recent funding announcement, Sheridan has also been awarded two College and Community Innovation Fund (CCSIF) grants.

For more information on research and innovation at Sheridan, please visit research.sheridancollege.ca.