Colleges

Overview

The Tri-agency College and Community Innovation (CCI) program is one of the largest vehicles for funding applied research at colleges (including also polytechnics and CEGEPs) across Canada. It strengthens research links and collaborations between Canadian colleges and other colleges, universities and/or partner organizations from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors that have a common goal of creating economic, social, health and/or environmental benefits for Canada. The funding that the CCI program provides to applied research and development projects makes it easier for the partner organizations to collaborate and access the wealth of resources Canada’s innovative college system has to offer.

Given today’s highly competitive global economy, the CCI program is playing a central role in supporting Canada’s college innovation ecosystem through:

• providing partner organizations access to the unique knowledge, expertise and capabilities available at Canadian colleges and universities
• training college students in essential technical skills required by organizations in the private, public or not-for-profit sectors
• providing economic, environmental, health and/or social benefits to the partner organization(s) and to Canada
• allowing a wide range of collaborations among colleges, universities and/or partner organizations

The CCI program is managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada in collaboration with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.