Grande Prairie Regional College is a Comprehensive Community College with a mandate for Applied Research granted by Alberta Advanced Education and Technology in November 2007.
Institutional Research Plan
Consistent with our strengths
- Integrated Research Unit (1995-2007)
- Community Partnerships
- Systems (financial, policy)
- Certification
*NSERC, SSHRC (in progress); Tri-Council for human subjects, ethics review board/process in place, CCAC 'conditional compliance' CVMA, Tri-Council for animal subjects (in progress).
- Research Programs established
* Pollutants to Products (NSERC - 15 funding partners)
* Neuroscience Laboratory
* Nursing Education and Health Studies
- Infrastructure (classrooms, laboratories, P2P Solarium)
- Student Engagement
Opportunities
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Memorandum of Agreement
* "creation of a vibrant agricultural research organization that is directed by a governing Board with both private and public sector interests and investments."
- Nursing Education and Practice
- Unmanned Vehicle Systems
- Business
- Large Animal Based Research (Fairview College Campus)
- Forestry (both bundled with P2P and other)
Research Priorities
Goal 1: Collaborate with the AACTI-Innovation system to develop a robust pan-Alberta applied research network and system.
Goal 2: Develop applied research programs at GPRC that are consistent with current capacity, current and emerging programs, provide opportunity to strengthen student and faculty engagement in applied research and within the context of the Alberta Research Plan, the Alberta business plan, and international research excellence that deliver (or have the potential to deliver) social and economic benefits to the region and beyond.
Programs - current and potential
1. Energy and Environment
* Pollutants to Products
* Low Impact Systems
2. BioSolutions (in conjunction with AAFC-Beaverlodge)
* Beekeeping (programming: National Bee Diagnostic Centre)
* Agronomy, fescue breeding, soil & climatology
* Red meat production
* Biomass
3. Health Solutions
* Nursing Education and Health Studies
* Neuroscience
4. Technology Futures
* Unmanned Vehicle Systems
* Manufacturing (client services, PeRMA, CRISP)
We offer:
- Networking Research Opportunities
- Facilitation of Research Initiatives
- Academic and Applied Research
CURRENT PROJECTS:
Developing Innovative Biotechnologies to Turn Pollutants to Products (P2P)
Grande Prairie Regional College, along with their industry partners and stakeholders, have developed three independent, on-going applied research and development projects.
- Turning CO2 and air pollutants to microalgae products
- Improving reforestation technology and increasing CO2 conversion to industrial wood fibre
- Converting effluent and bio-solids to industrial wood fibre
The focus of each of these projects is not just to reduce pollutants and carbon emissions but to turn pollutants into products (P2P). These P2P environmental technologies offer substantial economic potential for northwestern Alberta.
In November 2009, principal investigator, Weixing Tan, and his team consisting of Ali Al-Asadi, George Ding, Houshang Ghazi, Georgia Goth, Phillip Johnson, Richard Krygier (NRC-CWFC), Bruce Rutley, Rick Scott and Audrey Wells applied for a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research (NSERC) grant. On October 12, 2010 NSERC awarded the P2P project an Innovation Enhancement grant of $2.3 M. Add this to the nearly $1 M contributed by P2P Industry Partners and the funding for the next five years total $3.3 M with the potential to recruit new partners and, therefore, additional funding.
This substantial investment will also allow GPRC to move forward with their Pollutants to Products outreach, knowledge dissemination and networking. Part oft his process will be the creation of a P2P Institute, an information centre, a high school environmental competition, and the development of regular reports, displays, workshops, and conferences.
Applied Research Partners
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council - Ottawa, ON
- Aquatera Utilities Inc. - Grande Prairie, AB
- Ainsworth Engineering Canada LP - Grande Prairie, AB
- Canadian Forest Products Ltd. - Grande Prairie, AB
- ConocoPhillips Canada - Grande Prairie, AB
- EnEco System Inc. - Vancouver, BC
- Manning Diversified Forest Products - Manning, AB
- NRC (Woodfibre Centre)
- Pacific Reforestation Technologies (PRT) - Beaverlodge, AB
- PREDA - Grande Prairie, AB
- Rheaume Engineering Inc. - Grande Prairie, AB
- Tolko Industries - High Level, AB
- Vanderwell Contractors (1971) Ltd. - Slave Lake, AB
- Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd. - Grande Prairie, AB
- Woodmere Nursery Ltd. - Fairview, AB
Community Partners
- Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce - Grande Prairie, AB
- Horse Lake First Nation - Horse Lake, AB
Previous Contributors
- Alberta Association of Colleges and Technical Institutions (AACTI)
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