Niagara College’s Research and Innovation division is partnering with Brock LINC to support emerging entrepreneurs through Blueprint, a product development and prototyping program designed to help participants turn ideas into products and services.
Through this partnership, three NC Innovation Centres, the Business and Commercialization Innovation Centre (BCIC), Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC) and the Food and Beverage Innovation Centre (FBIC), are providing specialized expertise to help entrepreneurs develop, test and refine their product or service..
“We’re extremely excited to be working with the current cohort of entrepreneurs enrolled in Brock’s Blueprint program,” said Paula Reile, Associate Director, BCIC. “Working with such a diverse range of projects allows us to be creative and intentional in our approach to branding. It’s incredibly rewarding to help these entrepreneurs bring their visions to life and to build brands that reflect the ideas and products they’re developing.”
Design elements that NC’s BCIC team created for HangTime, a company participating in Blueprint.
The collaboration between NC and Brock is the result of ongoing efforts to strengthen connections across Niagara’s innovation ecosystem. It began to take shape in 2025, when NC’s Research and Innovation team hosted the Niagara Innovation Ecosystem Showcase at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The event brought together organizations from across the region to learn more about each other’s capabilities and identify opportunities to work together.
“The Innovation Ecosystem Showcase was really the catalyst for this partnership,” said David DiPietro, Manager, Business Development, Research and Innovation. “It brought us together to share our expertise, understand what each organization does and identify where we could fill each other’s gaps by working together.”
Following the showcase, Brock LINC reached out to explore how NC could support its 17-week Blueprint program, which helps entrepreneurs develop and refine products with support tailored to their needs.
“The Niagara College Research and Innovation teams are ideally suited to support participants in the Blueprint program,” said Tamara Jensen, Entrepreneurship Program Manager, Brock LINC. “Some of our participants are developing very complex products, so connecting them with the right expertise and vendors is extremely important.”
NC’s Innovation Centres support an iterative approach, helping participants turn early concepts into prototypes and refine their designs based on feedback from potential customers. For example, WAMIC is supporting the creators of Purvivino, a natural filtration product designed to remove sulphites and histamines from wine without altering its aroma or taste, with the industrial design of its hardware. WAMIC is also working with D-Tail Tools as it prepares to bring its first product, The Goose, to market. The multi-use tool is designed to make caulking and sealing easier for tradespeople and DIYers by helping users apply and smooth sealant without repeatedly using their finger. With the product currently prototyped using 3D printing, WAMIC is providing guidance on materials and packaging and connecting D-Tail Tools with injection moulders to help move the product toward manufacturing.
Meanwhile, the FBIC is working with Rise and Shine, eh? to conduct a theoretical feasibility study for the development of a novel functional beverage. The study will assess the technical, regulatory and scalability considerations for the clean-energy product.
The BCIC is also contributing its expertise, working with all Blueprint participants to develop brand identities and key visual elements, including imagery, colour palettes and typography, that reflect their products and ideas.
“What started as an opportunity for the BCIC has opened the door for other NC Innovation Centres to participate,” said DiPietro. “Now that we understand how we can contribute and work together with Brock LINC, there are exciting opportunities to support local entrepreneurs and industry partners in new ways.”
Looking ahead, additional NC Innovation Centres could participate in future Blueprint cohorts, while entrepreneurs may also connect with NC’s Research and Innovation team as their businesses grow.
This collaboration is one example of how Niagara’s innovation ecosystem can connect entrepreneurs with specialized expertise and resources at different stages of development. NC, Brock University and Innovate Niagara have also collaborated on an industry mapping tool to help organizations identify partners and resources that best fit their needs at any given stage of their journey.
Research and Innovation looks forward to supporting additional entrepreneurs across Niagara through the Blueprint partnership.
