Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) in Portage la Prairie marked a significant milestone last week as its Research Partnerships & Innovation (RPI) division celebrates 20 years of bridging industry and academia.
An event held on campus showcased how RPI empowers local businesses and entrepreneurs through accessible applied research, turning concepts into market-ready solutions.
The event featured presentations from RPI experts, including an overview of Manitoba’s largest institute of applied learning and research, which boasts an annual research enterprise of $6-9 million and over $90 million in infrastructure. Guy Moffat, Regional Campus Manager for RRC Polytech in Portage la Prairie, emphasized the goal of raising local awareness about these transformative services.
"The purpose of this event is to help educate industry as well as business in Portage la Prairie about the other thing that Red River College Polytechnic does. We asked our research partners to come out and just to talk to our business and industry about what it is that they do, so we can speak to innovators in Portage area for any projects that they might have coming up."
Making innovation accessible
A cornerstone of RPI’s offering is its accessible funding model. Michel Sevigny, Industry Liaison Manager for RRC Polytech’s Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing (TACAM), detailed how the division helps overcome financial barriers for startups and SMEs. TACAM alone has engaged 104 industry partners on 170 projects since 2019.
"The purpose is to bring ideas to life. If you have an idea and you’re a registered company, come and see us and we can work with you to develop your idea into a working prototype.", notes Sevigny, "All the IP related to that prototype remains your property. The 25-75% ratio is an average. We will strive as best as we can to get as much funding as we can, but there will always be a component that the customer will have to come up with. They have to have money in the game."
Sevigny stressed RPI’s province-wide reach which can directly benefit Portage entrepreneurs, noting, "This is open to anybody who’s a startup company – it doesn’t matter where you are. We’re trying to reach out and say we’re here for the whole province, and trying to show there is a lot of technology even in rural areas. I want to bring technology to my area and help my community. If you have an idea, come see us and we can help you out."
Community impact & capabilities
The Portage campus complements RPI’s network with its Prairie Project Space, featuring 3D printers, laser engravers, and prototyping tools. Moffat highlighted its role in local creativity alongside RPI’s specialized facilities like the Prairie Research Kitchen (food innovation) and Centre for Additive Manufacturing (metal 3D printing).
The campus also unveiled a permanent cultural landmark – a meticulously designed metal teepee. Moffat notes the significance, explaining, "Working with the Friendship Center, we determined what it should look like, the colors on the poles, and what goes inside. The number of poles represents local First Nations, with each painted a medicine wheel color. Inside are the seven sacred teachings. The door also faces east as in a traditional teepee. It’s something neat our community didn’t have before."
Moffat concluded with optimism for Portage’s innovative future, saying, "I am very hopeful we can bolster innovation coming out of Portage. We’ve got a lot of talented people – it would be nice to see Portage la Prairie make its mark."
RPI’s 20-year legacy underscores RRC Polytech’s commitment to fueling Manitoba’s economic growth through industry-driven research.