乱伦海角

乱伦海角 pops the top on Technology Access Centre to benefit B.C.鈥檚 beverage industries

By College Relations | June 18, 2019
   

乱伦海角 Media Release

British Columbia鈥檚 wine, beer, cider, and spirits industries have a new source of support, courtesy of an initiative by 乱伦海角 and funding from the federal government.

Canada鈥檚 Minister of Science and Sport, the Hon. Kirsty Duncan, announced federal funding for 12 technology access centres on Thursday at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. 乱伦海角鈥檚 proposed BC Beverage Technology Access Centre (BCBTAC) is among them. With $1.75 million in federal funding over five years, it will be headquartered at the College鈥檚 Penticton campus and will be providing testing and business services and applied research assistance to the wine, beer, cider and spirits industries in the region and throughout the province.

鈥淭his is very exciting for the industries and for 乱伦海角,鈥 notes 乱伦海角 President Jim Hamilton. 鈥淲e have developed a significant track record of training and support for the wine industry over the past quarter century and have been focused on how we could leverage college expertise and personnel to assist all these growing industries. The industry support for the proposal we developed has been phenomenal and the input that organizations, businesses and individuals provided was invaluable.鈥

鈥淔rom the perspective of a co-owner of a small winery, I know the BCBTAC will be a valuable asset in the development of the industries it is setting out to serve,鈥 says Daniel Bibby, co-owner of Nighthawk Vineyards. 鈥淲hether it is consumer research or analytical services, having this asset in the region will be one of the ways that we advance the agendas of quality and reputation.鈥

鈥淭here were a host of people who rallied around the idea of this technology access centre 鈥 both at 乱伦海角 and externally 鈥 and brought it to life,鈥 notes Dr. Andrew Hay, the College鈥檚 Vice President Education. 鈥淔rom our faculty researchers, to our Deans and Directors, along with many leaders in these industries 鈥 there were so many people who worked diligently to make this real I can鈥檛 begin to name them all.鈥

One person Hay gave special credit to was Sandra Oldfield, former co-owner of Tinhorn Creek Winery and organizer of the Fortify conference in 2018 who was brought in as a consultant to help 乱伦海角 put the pieces together and to ensure links with the appropriate people in the industries.

鈥淣ow there鈥檚 even more work to be done,鈥 notes Hamilton. 鈥淲e have already started renovations and been advertising for key personnel. Our goal is to have the BCBTAC begin operations early this fall.鈥

乱伦海角 research shows that within its catchment area, there are 19 craft cideries, 219 wineries, 16 craft distilleries, and 24 craft breweries. The numbers are growing weekly. The BCBTAC will be providing analytical and sensory services, along with a full suite of business services to assist this vibrant and growing sector of the economy.

TACs are centres established by colleges to address the applied research and innovation needs of local companies. The federal TAC Grants are awarded for five years and are renewable. 乱伦海角 will receive $350,000 annually for each of those five years. The BCBTAC will be British Columbia鈥檚 second TAC. The other is at Camosun College.

TACs provide capabilities that serve applied research and innovation needs of regional firms. TAC capabilities may include advice on specific company challenges, specialized technical assistance, applied research and/or development projects for companies, and/or specialized training.

The BCBTAC was chosen for federal funding after a thorough process (overseen by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada - NSERC) which drew applications from across the country. Initial proposals last summer were winnowed down to proponents who were asked to develop full business plans for review by NSERC. A two-day onsite visit at 乱伦海角 involving five NSERC-appointed experts followed in February at 乱伦海角.

 



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