SONAMI celebrates 10 years of transforming Ontario innovation

The NC-led Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) has spent a decade proving that collaboration is the engine of provincial growth – and on March 27, it was time to celebrate.

Representatives from NC’s trailblazing Research and Innovation division, along with partners from post-secondary institutions from across the province, and industry and ecosystem partners, gathered at the Welland Campus to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the network.

The event highlighted a decade of success for SONAMI – a network of post-secondary institutions who, through their respective innovation centres, collaborate with small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) to tackle their manufacturing-related challenges.

SONAMI’s numbers wowed the crowd: 510 completed projects (with another 70 currently in progress), 492 industry partnerships, more than $27.3 million in government investment, 888 jobs created or supported, 284 commercialized outcomes, and $22.5 million in sales from commercialized innovations.

“The 10 year anniversary of SONAMI reflects what is possible when colleges and universities come together to help SMEs grow,” said NC President Sean Kennedy in a brief address to the guests. “For a decade, SONAMI has made a difference  for hundreds of companies whose growth supports job creation for our graduates, and helps build a resilient economy in Ontario and Canada.”

Marc Nantel, PhD, Vice-President of Research, Innovation and Strategic Enterprises, took the stage and reminisced about his original vision for a collaborative research hub: to tap into the expertise within innovation centres at each institution, and help industry tackle their need to access research and development (R&D).

“I thought wouldn’t it be cool if we got together and could help manufacturers ‘around the lake,'” said Nantel, referring to the Golden Horseshoe.

That spark fuelled the powerhouse network which became SONAMI. While it officially launched in 2016 with four member institutions, it expanded over the years to a collective of 11 post-secondary partners across Ontario which includes both colleges and universities.

Nantel noted that each member institution brings specialized equipment and expertise to the network –  from NC’s Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre that specializes in engineering design, 3D design, lean manufacturing processes and additive manufacturing, to Queen’s University’s Structural and Multidisciplinary Systems Design Lab’s automotive, aerospace and defence-driven applications, to Sheridan’s Centre for Intelligent Manufacturing connecting industry, curriculum and applied research, and more.

“When we work with companies on developing new products, processes and services, new ideas get transformed into reality, and companies commercialize it,” said Nantel. “All our members would generate new ideas with our companies, deliver that intellectual property to the economy, so they can as quickly as possible commercialize, create jobs and boost the economy.”

From clean growth solutions to niche consumer products, SONAMI has helped turn prototypes into breakthroughs across several sectors. By forging partnerships between industry, academia, and strategic funders, the network has proven what is possible when resources are combined.

Nantel pointed out that when industry and academic researchers collaborate to test, refine, and commercialize ideas, everybody wins – including students, who gain essential hands-on experience while giving companies the tools to accelerate their growth.

“It’s real-world impact,” said Nantel. “Students gain hands-on experience while connecting with industry to accelerate growth.”

Bob Benner, CEO of Hamill Group of Companies, has worked with Niagara College’s Research and Innovation division for 15 years and credited the partnership with his company’s evolution.

“It was just a general machine shop. Now we’ve got two robots, we do laser welding, and another shop and our products are sold around the world,” said Benner. “We’re in a much better position now than we were 10 years ago. We’ve done a lot of great things that we couldn’t have done without the college, or SONAMI. It enabled us to start growing as a company.”

SONAMI’s value is also evident for Tamara Lockwood, co-founder and CSO of Infinite Harvest Technologies, which upcycles plant and animal byproducts into high-density feed and fertilizer.

“We didn’t have the in-house expertise for R&D,” said Lockwood.

Through SONAMI, her team worked with George Brown College to design a processing unit and collaborated with Mohawk College to verify their environmental claims.

“The only reason we can do this is because of the value of the network, the expertise of the researchers, the coders, the data people, the electrical engineers, everybody who’s come together and taken on a group project with us,” said Lockwood. “We have had the great fortune to be involved in the Niagara community and receive support for different projects from SONAMI and the other colleges.”

Igor Chigrin, co-founder and CEO of Win Global, also shared how the network helped his company develop heavy-lift cargo drones, opening the door for a national opportunity. He recalled the early challenges of navigating research and development as a small team.

“It was tough. It was lonely. Our progress was very slow because there’s only so much we could do together,” said Chigrin.

SONAMI funding allowed Win Global to access aerospace expertise at Centennial College. Last year, they completed an aircraft prototype design that led to a contract with a Government of Canada client.

“There’s no way we would have achieved this without SONAMI funding,” said Chigrin. “We sincerely congratulate the SONAMI program with its 10-year anniversary and wish them many more years of success and great success stories like ours.”

SONAMI is a Niagara College-led network that collaborates with small- and medium-sized companies to tackle manufacturing challenges. The network includes college partners Centennial, Conestoga, Fanshawe, Fleming, George Brown, Lambton, Mohawk, and Sheridan, as well as university partners Queen’s and McMaster. Visit sonami.ca.