Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics demonstrates multi-million-dollar economic and research impact resulting from FedDev Ontario funding
The University of Waterloo’s Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) generated a significant labour and economic impact after its initial year of investment from the federal government.
Funding provided by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) in February 2023 generated 79 permanent new jobs, $1.5 million in direct investments and $1.38 million in sales of new products, processes and services.
The investment also resulted in directing $5.1 million dollars to research and development and $3.7 million dollars to the adoption of advanced technology through research and industry partnerships, and recipients of the Sustainable Futures and Horizon Competitions.
“We proposed these activities to catalyze industry growth and sustainability,” says Dr. Suzanne Kearns, founding director of WISA. “The results indicate that our community of research and industry leaders have made tremendous advances to support the long-term social, environmental and economic viability of the air transport sector.”
The funding supported four key initiatives: university research projects with industry or government partners; pitch competitions for sustainability projects led by small- to medium-sized enterprises in southern Ontario; eLearning courses for aviation professionals; and an Innovation Hub for advanced training at the Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre.
Additionally, the WISA initiatives supported 51 businesses and 21 non-profit organizations.
Kearns confirms that WISA will continue to expand and enhance its economic impact across southern Ontario, with partner organizations creating their own revenue streams and researchers continuing their projects with new sources of funding.
“I’m grateful to FedDev Ontario for this transformational investment and for all of WISA’s partners and champions who made these initiatives possible,” Kearns says. “The results demonstrate how much we can accomplish when we collaborate across sectors and disciplines towards a shared goal.
“This is just the beginning of WISA’s impact. We look forward to continuing our collaborations to advance sustainability in the air transport sector.”
For more information about the outcomes this investment, please visit the WISA website.
