Big Help for Small Businesses

The Whig-Standard -- Queen's University Innovation Park researcher Dr. Michael Shannon, who is doing research of hospital room decontamination and sterlizationshows his equipment to Federal Government House Leader John Baird, right, Leeds-Grenville M.P.Gord Brown after Baird made an announcement at Innovation Park as the federal government announced funding for a partnership between Queen's, St. Lawrence College, small and medium size businesses bring products and new ideas to the marketplace faster. Queen's received $750,000 while St. Lawrence College received $154,993.

A program to help small southern Ontario businesses bring new products to market received a $905,000 boost yesterday.

John Baird, government house leader and Queen's University alumnus, was in Kingston yesterday to make the announcement with Leeds Grenville MP Gord Brown.

The money is coming from the $15 million Applied Research and Commercialization Initiative. Queen's will receive $750,000 while St. Lawrence College will get $154,993.

The money will be used to provide support to small businesses in the areas of applied research, engineering design, technology development, product testing and certification.

"This money will start to build collaborations ... that we hope will grow into mutually beneficial long-term research (projects)," Janice Mady, director of Innovation Park at Queen's, said in a release.

Dr. Steven Liss, vice-principal of research at Queen's, said the university is "delighted" to be involved in the program.

"The initiative builds on our research strengths and creates opportunities (for) relationships between small-and medium-sized (businesses) and the Queen's research community, including faculty, students and staff."

The money is enough to pay for approximately 15 research and commercialization projects, according to documents.