On April 30, Conestoga was presented with a silver Applied Research and Innovation Excellence Award from Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) during its annual connection conference. This is the second year in a row the college has been honoured with the award.
CICan’s Awards of Excellence celebrate member institutions and individuals each year for their achievements within Canada’s largest post-secondary network. The awards honour those who exceed expectations in areas vital to Canada’s social, cultural, and economic prosperity, including skill development, Indigenous reconciliation, research, equity, diversity, inclusion, and environmental sustainability.
“CICan is thrilled by the remarkable calibre of nominations for this year’s Awards of Excellence,” said Pari Johnston, CICan president and CEO. “With a laser focus on building a strong future for Canada and their communities, our members continue to raise the bar, showcasing their unwavering dedication to innovation, collaboration and fostering purpose-driven change.”
The Applied Research and Innovation Excellence Award recognizes a college or institute that has improved the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises and community partners through the development of new and improved products, processes and services and has provided students and graduates with real-world innovation experience.
Conestoga’s Research team helps local businesses innovate and bring new ideas to life by connecting them with faculty, researchers, and students who have the expertise and experience required to address their research and development needs.
The college ranked among the top 20 research colleges across Canada in 2023 and is home to five applied research centres spanning science, engineering, business, and social innovation and two centres focused on entrepreneurship and commercialization.
Faculty member Laura Matheson was also recognized by CICan with an honourable mention in the Leadership Excellence Award for Faculty category which recognizes an individual or team who has exhibited consistent excellence in teaching and has had a significant impact on the personal and academic growth of students.
Matheson is leading development of the college’s comprehensive sustainability plan that will establish a vision for the future and outline strategies to infuse sustainability principles into our academic programs, research endeavours, operational procedures and governance.
CICan is the national and international voice of Canada’s largest post-secondary education network and advocates, builds capacity, and drives knowledge to strengthen Canada’s publicly supported colleges, institutes, CEGEPs and polytechnics.
Visit Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship to learn more about Conestoga’s researchers, facilities and research centres.