The BCIT Centre for Applied Research and Innovation has worked with industry in BC and around the world to support innovation and research and development since 1989.
The timeline below is an effort to capture the major milestones and moments that have shaped CARI and applied research at BCIT since 1989. It is a living document that we will update with your contributions. To suggest an item to add to the timeline, please contact us.
BCIT receives $1.75 million to create the Technology Centre, bringing together a number of well-established operating units including: the Applied Research in Computer Systems (ARCS) lab, the Venture Program, and two Industrial Technical Advisors funded through the National Research Council. The Development Assistance Centre, which was previously a non-profit society, is now integrated with the Technology Centre and located in NE25.
Dr. Norman Streat becomes the first Director of the Technology Centre.
The Applied Research in Computer Systems (ARCS) Lab employs six full-time staff who work on software development projects.
The Centre’s Health Applied Research and Development program provides excellent lab facilities and expertise to support medical devices and other health-related projects.
Media Studio, a centre for multimedia research, development and education, opened its doors to industry and BCIT faculty, staff and students on October 14.
And in June this year, the new Chemical Engineering laboratory was completed.
Nancy Paris appointed Director of Health Applied Research and Development.
The ARCS Lab becomes GAIT, the Group for Advanced Information Technologies, broadening the group’s scope to include telecommunications, internet engineering and cybersecurity.
Faculty and staff from five different BCIT programs worked together to integrate a photovoltaic system into the building facade of the Technology Centre (NE25). This PEARL Lab project was part of a BCIT experiment with solar power that also lead to the construction of a the solar Power Tower next to the electrical building (SE1) on the Burnaby campus.
BCIT’s Technology Centre and School of Health Sciences partner with Simon Fraser University’s Gerontology Research Centre to develop the Dr. Tong Louie Living Laboratory at the new BCIT Downtown campus. Funded by an endowment from the Dr Tong Louie Foundation and a grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the facility’s primary mandate is to conduct research and training activities that improve the “fit” between people and their daily living and working environments by studying people’s interaction with devices, assistive technology, other products and environmental features.
BCIT is successful with the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) in its initial round of funding ($640,000) for three laboratories: Centre for Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology that Enables (CREATE) led by Dr. Silvia Raschke, the Photovoltaic Energy Applied Research Lab (PEARL) led by Ljubislav Stamenic and the Internet Engineering Lab (IEL) led by Paul Thiel.
BCIT’s Product and Process Applied Research Team (PART) develops prototype for the SATURN GLIDESCOPE, a video laryngoscope that makes difficult intubations easier.
Technology Commercialization Office created from existing Commercialization Office for Health Technologies. First of three rounds of funding through Western Economic Diversification creates the Technology Commercialization Office (TCO) at BCIT.
Second of three rounds of funding through Western Economic Diversification creates Research Services Office and Prototype Development Fund.
- Third of three rounds of funding through Western Economic Diversification – $996,300 is provided to BCIT to purchase equipment to establish a new Advanced Prototyping Hub and improve the institute’s technology commercialization capacity.
- The Technology Commercialization and Research Services Offices are merged to form a single entity, the Applied Research Liaison Office (ARLO).
- The Natural Health and Food Products Research Group (NRG) awarded a Team Planning Grant by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. The $35,000 grant provided resources to establish a Neurobiology Research Team in Natural Health Products.
- The Product and Process Applied Research Team earns ISO Certification to ISO 9001 and 13485. Define ISO 9001 and 13485. Medical Technologies.
- Hassan Farhanghi becomes Director of the Group for Advancement in Information Technology (GAIT).
- Through Western Economic Diversification Canada, BCIT’s CARI Proposal receives $3m in funding to set up the CARI building and fund a 2 year Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) project to support small businesses in BC.
- BC Provincial Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) funding of $2.7m is matched by funds from Western Economic Diversification to initiate and fund the infrastructure for BCIT’s Smart Microgrid project. Project title: “Development of an Intelligent Micro-Grid at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby, British Columbia”
NSERC Smart Microgrid Network (NSMG-Net) formed as a national strategic network, initiated with $5.7m in funding and Dr. Hassan Farhangi of SMART as the network leader. NSMG-Net has nine co-researchers in addition to Dr. Farhangi and twenty-four research partners from industry, 8 research universities, and 5 provincial power authorities, with much of the funding going to student researchers (27 students).
Gateway Solar PV project, an element of BCIT’s Smartgrid, is constructed.
Dr. Kim Dotto becomes Dean, Applied Research and the Centre for Applied Research and Innovation (CARI).
Dr. Jaimie Borisoff named BCIT’s second Canada Research Chair in Rehabilitation Engineering Design. Dr. Borisoff follows BCIT’s first Canada Research Chair Fitsum Tariku who works in the School of Construction and the Environment. Rehabilitation Design Engineering Lab receives funding from Canada Foundation for Innovation to match Canada Research Chair Funding.
Dr. Paula Brown named BCIT’s third Canada Research Chair, in Phytoanalytics. Canada Foundation for Innovation and BC Knowledge Development Fund fund the Phytoanalytics Lab.
Silvia Raschke, PhD, was selected to receive the prestigious 2013 Thranhardt Award from the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) for her groundbreaking research.
After two years of construction, BCIT’s Smart Microgrid Applied Research Team completes BCIT’s Energy OASIS project constructed at BCIT Burnaby Campus as part of the Smart Microgrid research program.
BCIT’s Product and Process Applied Research Team (PART) honoured with the prestigious Red Dot Design Award in the Life Sciences category for their medical device innovation “Hug”, a system that manages intravenous lines and other medical tubing.
NRG Instrumentation Lab is certified as one of only 7 medical cannabis test facilities in Canada.
Dr. Paula Brown received the AHPA Herbal Insight Award for making a significant contribution to furthering knowledge and understanding of botanicals and their uses.
The Phytoanalytics Lab is home to a Bruker AVANCE III HD™ 400MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer, the first certified Foodscreener in North America. This state-of-the-art lab increases the capacity of the BCIT Natural Health and Food Products Research Group to advance laboratory testing of products, support development of new therapeutics, improve agricultural management practices, provide unique educational opportunities and help shape the regulation of natural health products in Canada.
The BCIT Smart Microgrid has been named a “Top 50 B.C. Innovation to Watch” in the November 2017 issue of Business in Vancouver (page 18).
The Microgrid provides electrical utilities with a testing ground to validate variations of smart grid technologies and solutions. Access to the Microgrid also gives private sector partners opportunities to incorporate microgrid technologies into their existing products or develop new portfolios of products.
BCIT researcher Dr. Jaimie Borisoff and his team, including MAKE+ Project Leader Johanne Mattie, Research Analyst Angie Wong, Research Assistant Rory Dougall, and CARI Trades Researcher Ernie Janzen received an Innovation to Commercialization funding award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. Dr. Borisoff and team won the award for their development of an exercise machine, AAPLE-Walk, which creates walking-like leg movements for individuals with lower limb injuries.
BCIT introduced the Centre for Internet of Things. The Centre for Internet of Things will keep BCIT at the forefront of this emerging technology and digital transformation with advanced hands-on education and training, industry collaboration, and research.
Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre awarded BCIT Applied Research and the Smart Microgrid Applied Research Team the 2020 Cleantech Educational Institution Award at the inaugural Cleantech Awards Show at the Globe 2020 Forum in Vancouver on February 11, 2020.
The Foresight BC Cleantech Awards award program celebrates organizations and thought leaders from throughout the BC cleantech ecosystem who are making an impact in everything cleantech. We are very pleased to honour BCIT Applied Research with this award,” said Jeanette Jackson, CEO of Foresight.
BCIT SMART team was awarded the 2021 ECO Canada Community Impact Award for their project on Master your EV etiquette: the Do’s and Don’ts of EV charging.
The ECO Canada Community Impact Award recognizes positive environmental projects from across the country by groups that have displayed environmental advocacy, sustainable initiatives, and skill-building.
Joey Dabell, SMART Project Leader was presented the award at a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, January 28, 2021.