Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) and the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) are working with industry and NSERC to fund $2 million in university and industry based, transformative R&D in

Productivity, Energy, Water and Waste relating to Ontario's Mining Industry and its Value Chain.

WISE participated in the Mining Funding Initiative and Partnership Forum (info/networking session) in Toronto and is currently developing contacts in the mining industry. Tomorrow, July 11, WISE will meet with representatives from Barrick Gold Cooperation to discuss their energy interests and opportunities. Barrick is highly interested in energy R&D - it contributes 25% to their operating costs. You can watch presentations from the Mining Forum here http://www.miningexcellence.ca/events/lectures/

Take-away message from Partnership Forum: Strong (mining) partner is key! Implementation will be the most important evaluation criteria.

Please find below a summary of this funding opportunity. WISE Members can find an update on this opportunity here: http://wise.uwaterloo.ca/news1/opportunities/oceceminserc-mining-funding-initiative

Combined OCE/CEMI/NSERC funding of up to $400,000 (for up to 2-3 years)

Industrial partner has to commit at least $40,000

Deadline for EOI: July 27^th 2012

Applicant: Ontario University; Partner: Ontario company

Multidisciplinary projects (with multiple partners) will be preferred.

Major Topics:

-         Energy optimization in general

-         Biofuels (currently diesel fuel biggest contributor to energy costs) and local energy development

-         Ventilation (HVAC, major task: cooling air, heat exchange), waste heat recovery from water

-         Microgrid and remote logistics of renewable energy generation (solar, wind, etc.)

-         Transportation and mining vehicles (includes alternative fuels, batteries, EV)

If you are interested in this opportunity please contact (before July 20) tforrest@uwaterloo.ca. We would be delighted to assist you in your application, including fostering a multidisciplinary approach and connections with suitable industry partners.

Please find Handout and Call for EOI below. We will post updates and keep you informed.