Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

The NSERC industrial stream CREATE-Microsystems Technologies & Application (MTA) training program aims to address the need for innovation in microsystems technologies and the skilled workforce to fill the rapid growth in the global market. Microsystems technologies are micro and nano-scale devices that combine electronic integrated circuits with additional non-electronic components on a single substrate. While manufacturing of individual microsystems and those based on conventional materials (e.g., silicon, glass, thermoplastics) have advanced significantly in the last few years, gaps still exist in cost-effective manufacturing, integration and field deployment of microsystems, and their applications in earth/environment/space monitoring and medical diagnosis. Combined with this need for microsystems innovation, our industry partners have identified a critical training bottleneck: HQP are not transitioning seamlessly into industry and instead it takes about two years to train incoming engineers with the needed skills. Hosted by York's Centre for Research in Earth and Space Science (CRESS), MTA's diverse team of 11 multidisciplinary researchers are collaborating with multi sectoral partners (academic, microfabrication facilities, industrial, government and international) CREATE-MTA program will directly address this critical human resource gap in these sectors by training the next generation of highly skilled engineers and scientists. MTA's interdisciplinary research, professional and collaboration training program will deliver 13 training components to trainees. As a whole, these are designed to provide transferrable skills for designing and optimizing microsystems for space, engineering and biomedical applications, not only to transition successfully to the workforce but also to meet the needs of the fast-growing microfabrication and microsystems sectors in Canada.