Feds invest research funding to build better roads, train skilled trade workers

The federal government will fund  hundreds of students and dozens of faculty at Algonquin College and La Cité collégiale to develop new cutting-edge construction technology.

Included in the research grants was funding to develop a new pavement that will resist water erosion. Funding was also provided to develop technology to measure where heat leaks out of buildings and create a system that would allow home buyers to take a 3D tour of a house before it is built.

The National Capital Region is receiving more than $4 million: an Innovation Enhancement Grant of $2.3 million over five years to Algonquin College and a Technology Access Centres Grant of $1.75 million over five years to La Cité collégiale.

The funding will also help the colleges train new tradespeople and make the manufacturing of construction materials cheaper, quicker and of higher quality, saving Canadian construction firms time and money.

The result will be improved designs, decreased re-work or fewer costly delays while design issues are addressed during construction, improved worker safety and reduced cost overruns, the government noted in the release.

The funding comes through the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program and the College Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF) Program. These programs fund research projects and partnerships between Canadian colleges and private businesses.