One year ago, Centennial College became the newest member of the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI), a Niagara College-led consortium of postsecondary academic institutions that provides competitive, disruptive and innovative solutions to Ontario’s manufacturers. Since then, SONAMI and its member institutions have pooled their resources to assist small- and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs, in various industries.
Centennial is pleased to announced that members of SONAMI, including the College, have received $2M in funding from NSERC to assist SMEs in the transportation, food production, energy and advanced manufacturing sectors. The Centennial leader on this project is Dr. Eric Blaise, Director of Applied Research and Innovation at ARIES.
“Emerging from the prolonged economic stress of COVID will be essential for southern Ontario’s SMEs,” says Dr. Eric Blaise. “Through targeted efforts in key sectors that are primed for sustainable growth, SONAMI will provide a critical difference in preparing local businesses and partners for success. Centennial is poised and ready to begin the task of pushing SMEs towards economic recovery through our specific expertise across our Schools and throughout our research teams.”
Manufacturing is a major economic driver in southern Ontario, and the manufacturing industry consists primarily of small companies. By existing as a network, SONAMI leverages the individual capacity and capabilities of its membership to broaden and deepen the resource pool of the whole. Centennial College’s focus on transportation, aerospace and automation brings a unique set of capabilities to SONAMI.
For more information, email aries@centennialcollege.ca.