RED DEER POLYTECHNIC
RDP awarded more than $1 million in College and Community Social Innovation Grants

With more than $1 million in highly competitive College and Community Social Innovation (CCSIF) grants, Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) will launch three innovative applied research projects that will run from 2025 to 2028. These investments will help RDP evolve its applied research ecosystems through partnerships, creating elevated solutions to industrial and societal challenges.

RDP students and residents of Bethany CollegeSide, located on RDP's main campus, participating in a workshop focused on the development of assistive technologies.

"We are extremely grateful to receive these CCSIF grants which will help us advance our applied research capacity with particular impact in social innovation across our key areas of focus," says Dr. Tonya Wolfe, Associate Vice President, Research, Red Deer Polytechnic. "By aligning our education, training and applied research, RDP helps to address the social and economic priorities of Alberta and beyond. Over the three-year period, more than 120 students across RDP will have direct experience in these projects."

One applied research project led by Jennifer Dornstauder, Engineering Technical Lead at RDP's Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing-Technology Access Centre (CIMTAC), will establish the Parasport Research and Accessibility Collaborative Hub (PARAREACH). This national network will facilitate collaboration, knowledge-sharing and the development of scalable solutions in parasport. Guided by RDP in collaboration with Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and the Canadian Sport Institute Alberta (CSIAB), PARAREACH will align academic research with the practical needs of advancing parasport across Canada.

A second project, led by RDP's Resiliency and Child Advocacy Research, will use community-based mapping to determine whether essential services in Red Deer meet the needs of vulnerable populations, including low-income families, survivors of abuse and Indigenous peoples. In partnership with The City of Red Deer, Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre, African Caribbean Centre of Central Alberta and Community Foundation of Central Alberta, RDP will combine technology and community input to identify accessibility barriers.

The third applied research project, led by Dr. Wolfe, aims to close gaps in long-term care services by integrating design thinking and creative expression into assistive devices for young adults with disabilities. Traditionally focused solely on function, assistive technologies often overlook emotional, psychosocial and identity-related factors. In partnership with Bethany Care Society, RDP will involve young adult residents as co-designers in developing personalized, empowering assistive solutions -- applied directly within Bethany's Young Adult Unit in Red Deer.

As a Top 50 research polytechnic in Canada, RDP has four areas of focus: Advanced Manufacturing, Energy Innovation, Health Care and Health Technology, and Social Innovation.

These grants help bolster the Polytechnic's range of multidisciplinary applied research and impact across the province and nation.

For more information about research and innovation at RDP, please visit: rdpolytech.ca/innovation.