Sheridan Screen Industries Research and Training Centre receives $800k in federal funding

Advanced digital media equipment funding will bolster Sheridan’s leadership in applied research and training for Ontario’s screen industry

The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology, announced the funding decisions this morning for the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) College-Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF), second competition. Sheridan College is among 17 colleges, cégeps and polytechnics receiving a total of $12.5 million in support for research infrastructure.  The Minister made the announcement at the Association of Canadian Community Colleges Annual Conference in Quebec City.

The purpose of the College-Community Innovation Fund is to enhance colleges’ ability to support business innovation through dedicated research infrastructure funding for industry partnership projects.  The CFI funding valued at $800,000 awarded to Sheridan will flow through the Screen Industries Research and Training (SIRT) Centre, which is dedicated to enriching Ontario’s film, television and interactive media industry with advanced research and training programs.

The CFI award will allow the SIRT Centre to acquire new advanced digital media equipment that will enrich existing industry research projects and enable new partnerships with more small-to-medium-sized firms, reinforcing the Centre’s ability to respond to industry innovation needs.

“The SIRT Centre is helping put Sheridan’s applied research in digital media on the world stage,” said Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, President and CEO, Sheridan College. “The CFI’s investment will ensure SIRT continues to provide dynamic innovation support and give our student and faculty researchers access to world-class research equipment.”

Planning is underway for an exclusive media event at SIRT that will showcase the Centre’s internationally acclaimed, collaborative applied research work in leading industry innovations including high frame rate, stereoscopic 3D and virtual production.

The CFI’s College-Industry Innovation Fund recognizes the role applied research plays in supporting Canadian business. The CFI supports the spectrum of research activities, from fundamental discovery-driven research to applied research, along with private-sector innovation.

About SIRT: http://www.sirtcentre.com

The Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) is an applied research centre established by Sheridan College in 2010 at Pinewood Toronto Studios in the east end of Toronto. It’s dedicated to fostering collaborative innovation in Ontario’s film, gaming and television industries. SIRT works with industry, academic, and government partners to conduct collaborative research and provide Ontario’s professionals the training needed to build the province’s competitive advantage in the screen-based entertainment industries.