Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2023-2024).

The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is requesting NSERC Innovation Enhancement fundingx000D
to support the development of the recently-created Centre for Innovation and Research into Unmanned Systemsx000D
(CIRUS). CIRUS is designed to support applied research aimed at addressing industry challenges in three mainx000D
areas: innovative applications of unmanned vehicles, sensors and related equipment; application customisation;x000D
and validation and integration of data products derived from unmanned systems. CIRUS will act as a leadingx000D
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) research centre and a key supplier of highly qualified personnel to industry,x000D
and will function as a partner in applied research for both SMEs, and for more established companies.x000D
Additional partnership agreements have been established with the Foremost Centre for Unmanned Systems,x000D
which is currently the only licenced beyond visual line of sight facility in Canada for UAV testing. CIRUS hasx000D
also developed links with other Alberta colleges and their faculty, through a progressive seven AB collegex000D
partnership and one college in BC. NSERC funding will be used to provide a stable financial environment forx000D
the establishment and operation of CIRUS through its first five years. NSERC funds will be complemented byx000D
industry contributions to the various joint research projects undertaken at the centre, both with additionalx000D
funding provided through industry donations, and through various federal and provincial funding initiativesx000D
specific to individual research projects. The research carried out by CIRUS will complement the parallelx000D
development of unmanned systems and related curriculum at SAIT, and will provide a unique venue forx000D
student training. By working closely with industry, the centre will provide students with the opportunity tox000D
work on cutting-edge research, directly related to the rapidly-expanding adoption of UAVs both in Alberta, andx000D
in Canada as a whole.