Georgian College will receive $1 million from the province to expand its Centre of Industrial Simulation and Prototyping at its Barrie campus, part of a $47-million funding announcement made at the college on Wednesday morning.
The provincial money, flowing through the Ontario Research Fund, was announced during a news conference at Georgian College. Altogether, the province said it is putting about $47 million toward 195 research projects at universities, colleges and hospitals across Ontario.
What the money will do
According to the province, the $1 million will expand what it calls Ontario's first Industry 5.0 "sandbox" — a space where manufacturers and technology companies can test and adopt advanced techniques in a safe, controlled environment before deploying them in the real world.
College officials said the Ontario Research Fund investment serves as the provincial matching fund for a $1-million award from the Canada Foundation for Innovation announced last October, bringing combined federal and provincial funding to $2 million.
The college said the combined investment will fund the acquisition and installation of advanced equipment and integrated physical and digital environments, including automation platforms, robotics, simulation and virtual commissioning technologies, and specialized testing spaces.
Jobs and training
Launched in 2024, the centre is expected to create up to 460 jobs while training the next generation of manufacturing leaders and innovators at the Barrie campus, according to the province.
"We will be primarily focused on supporting a business and industry that have a need," Georgian College president and CEO Kevin Weaver told BarrieToday at Wednesday's event.
"They're looking to prototype, they're looking to develop or test a new product, and we'll do that work in here," Weaver added. "We'll bring in students as part of that learning and help them on their journey."
Weaver noted the college has many artificial intelligence projects underway that could benefit from the funding, but said the simulation and prototyping work is ultimately about applying the latest technology to solve existing business problems.
Aimed at smaller manufacturers
The college said the centre was established to give manufacturers and technology providers an independent, low-risk setting to simulate, test, demonstrate and validate advanced manufacturing technologies before real-world deployment.
Unlike traditional applied research labs, the college said the centre is intentionally designed to work both as a hands-on research facility and as an exhibition and demonstration hub, allowing technology developers and adopters to evaluate solutions together.
"By enabling digital simulation, virtual commissioning and hands-on prototyping, the centre helps companies shorten implementation timelines, reduce costly errors and improve operational efficiency," the college stated in a release.
The college added that the capability is particularly important to small and medium-sized enterprises, which often lack access to the specialized infrastructure, technical expertise and independent testing environments needed to adopt advanced technologies with confidence.
"As part of the government's plan to protect Ontario, supporting homegrown research will lead to groundbreaking discoveries and real-world applications that protect good-paying jobs, improve lives and keep Ontario businesses on the cutting edge of innovation to compete in the global market," said Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security Nolan Quinn, who was in Barrie for Wednesday's announcement.
