Research Manitoba recently announced the recipients of our 2024 Innovation Proof of Concept Grant (May Intake).
These grants strengthen a diverse range of Manitoba industries by bridging the funding gap between research projects’ concept and production through supporting activities directly related to process validation and proof-of-concept research.
Today, we are excited to share the perspectives of several award recipients as they reflect on the significance of this recognition. They have been asked, “How will this funding impact your project and help it move towards commercialization?“
Below, you’ll find their responses:
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Fuji Jian, University of Manitoba “This funding will help this research group to hire one MSc student and one summer student to complete the proposed study especially to develop the heat pump technology for grain drying. It is critical to quickly freeze grain to -15oC and remove surface water at the beginning of atmospheric freeze drying (AFD). To quickly freeze grain and remove surface water, maintaining the supplied air relative humidity (RH) at a low level is always the best choice and essential. Heat pump technology is the efficient method to reduce the air RH with low cost. The combination of heat pump and AFD was successfully used for fruit and vegetable drying due to its low cost and efficiency, but no study on grain in-bin drying especially under different Canadian conditions. Grain after AFD will be at sub-zero temperatures and water will condense in spring when natural air drying is conducted in spring (because the supplied air in spring is warm, and water in warm air will condense out when the warm air is forced through the cold grain kernels), and suppling air with low RH is the best solution for this condensation issue. Combination NAD with heat pump technology can replace the heater, so only NAD is conducted due to the low cost. Supplied air with low humidity will dry freeze kernels fast. Therefore, the combination of heat pump and AFD is needed for in-bin AFD at any locations. After this proposed study is completed and published, we expect to get financial support from a local drying company. We will use the companies’ cash contribution to apply for NSERC Alliance project for further exploring this technology. If these applications are successful, two PhD students will work on the combination technology, and most technology developed will be patented. If this approach is unsuccessful, Dr. Jian will use his NSERC Discovery to support this project, but only one student can be hired, and development time will be doubled. This developed heat pump technology will be commercialized by the local company.” |
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Peng Hu, University of Manitoba “The IPoC funding will act as a catalyst, allowing us to develop a novel wildfire detection solution to climate change adaptation and take crucial steps toward system prototyping and commercialization.” |
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Chyngyz Erkinbaev, University of Manitoba “The funding from Research Manitoba (Proof-of-Concept Grant) will enable our research team to develop a smart sensing system coupled with machine learning for rapid and accurate prediction of canola quality. This will provide producers with a tool for better decision-making, efficient utilization of canola, reducing waste, and increasing the market value of graded seeds.” |
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Yaser Al Mtawa, University of Winnipeg “This funding is crucial to advance our project’s current technology readiness level. It will enable the vital integration of system components beyond the prototyping phase toward developing a robust wearable device. By leveraging cloud computing and machine learning algorithms, we will significantly enhance the monitoring of vital signs, improving both data quality and real-time decision-making for the healthcare of pregnant individuals struggling with addiction. Experiments made possible by this funding will be key to overcoming anticipated and unforeseen challenges. Ultimately, this will pave the way for a commercially viable product that transforms the landscape of smart wearable healthcare technology.” |
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Anuraag Shrivastav, University of Winnipeg “Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most challenging cancers to treat, with fewer treatment options compared to other types of invasive breast cancers. The absence of targeted therapies for TNBC underscores the critical need for our research. We have discovered a novel and promising therapeutic target for TNBC. We are now in the process of developing small molecules against this target for use as targeted therapeutics. The grant support from Research Manitoba is crucial in accelerating our targeted therapeutics development to the preclinical stage.” |