Grant: Applied Research and Technology Partnership Grants

Data-driven innovation is critical to the competitiveness of Canadian businesses and an important source of economic growth. As businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, they can use data to look forward to - and influence - the future. One of the greatest challenges for businesses is effectively utilizing the immense wealth of data acquired, computed and stored by modern information systems, including the internet, social media, connected devices and sensor technology. SMEs often lack the in-house expertise and resources to effectively design and implement data-driven strategies. The Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (Humber), located in Toronto, Ontario, is requesting NSERC Applied Research and Technology Project (ARTP) funding for "Leveraging Design-Driven Analytics for Business Innovation". Our team of experts will collaborate with companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), on this national challenge. We will conduct applied research to develop "design-driven data analytics" (DDA) practices and products, providing a strong competitive advantage and stimulating economic growth in regional businesses. DDA uses an interdisciplinary approach to incorporate the principles of good design into traditional data analytics (e.g., analytics using reports and visuals to explain what happened in the past [descriptive analytics], to predict the future). The industry-driven projects supported by ARTP will provide economic benefits to partners by developing new design and data-driven products for the market, and new processes that use analytics to provide competitive advantages, increasing their revenues and decreasing operational costs. These projects will, in turn, support the training of the next generation of student innovators in DDA, thus developing a high demand for highly qualified personnel (HQP).