Grant: CCI Mobilize Grants

Rural Saskatchewan is facing many challenges, including depopulation, shifts in the structure of agriculture, addictions, an aging demographic, and the need for digital innovation, among many others. There are many opportunities to address these problems that are best addressed from within the rural area and Parkland College is well placed to assist, but resources are limited. Parkland College has been involved in applied research primarily agriculture and education for the last ten years. In 2021 the level of applied research increased significantly with the creation of a stand-alone Applied Research Office (ARO). The applied research program has been providing significant impacts on farm producers and other businesses and organizations in the region. In the 2021-2022 academic year, the Parkland ARO was involved in 81 projects and received just under $1 million in research funding. Parkland College will be merging with Cumberland College on July 1st, 2023, to serve a region in east-central Saskatchewan greater than the size of Nova Scotia. Cumberland College has not been actively involved in applied research to date. The merger of the two colleges and the Mobilize grant present an excellent opportunity to extend applied research services to the north (former Cumberland College region) and to strengthen the services available in the south (former Parkland College region). The Rural Applied Innovation Centre will bring access to research services by increasing the number of Research Coordinators (RCs) by two people, one in the north and one in the south, adding up to 8 additional student-applied research assistants (SRAs) each year and clerical support for the newly expanded Applied Research Office. The focus for the RCs includes social innovation in four areas: • Social Innovation in agriculture • Addictions and Substance Use Disorder • Aging in Place • Developing an Innovation Culture through Start-Up in Residence This is an optimum time for the new college to expand applied research and grow innovation in rural Saskatchewan from the ground up in ways determined by the people, the businesses, and the organizations that live here with the assistance of NSERC Mobilize.