Photo: FCA North America
Synergy: Sure, it’s a buzzword, but it’s also in the name of an award! Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Canada in November won the 2019 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Synergy Award for Innovation. The NSERC award comes from a partnership between FCA Canada and the McMaster Automotive Research Center that has proved quite fruitful and … dare I say … synergistic.
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FCA Canada partners with MARC, part of McMaster University in Ontario, to develop electrified powertrains and vehicle components. Dr. Ali Emadi, who heads up the “Electrified Vehicles: The Car of the Future” project, said that FCA’s expertise has helped build a robust research and development program for the university.
“Our partnership with Dr. Emadi and the McMaster Automotive Resource Center has been especially rewarding in that we are not only developing future vehicle technologies, we’re also developing future skilled workers in Canada,” said FCA Canada Head of Engineering Tony Mancina.
The MARC research group consists of more than 250 students, fellows, and engineers. The FCA — McMaster Additive Manufacturing Project runs through 2023.
MARC receiving $20K research grant for Synergy Award
NSERC has handed out its Synergy Award for Innovation since 1995, far preceding the term’s overuse as a buzzword. The prize goes to R&D partnerships between universities or colleges and companies involved in engineering and natural sciences. Winners must demonstrate teamwork, efficiency with resources, and the ability to benefit Canada.
As part of winning in the Partnership with a Large Company category, McMaster University and MARC receive a $20,000 NSERC research grant. FCA Canada receives a $30,000 credit toward a contribution to the Alliance grant.
The partnership between FCA Canada and McMaster kicked off in 2013 and includes innovations featured in the award-winning Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan. Now that’s synergy!
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Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.