Province invests $536K in composites research centre

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This article was published 23/10/2013 (2534 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Composites Innovation Centre (CIC) is celebrating its 10th anniversary today with the announcement that the province is investing an additional $536,000 in the research centre.

Over the years the CIC has led a substantial number of initiatives in developing the use of composites in all sorts of industrial applications.

It has become Canada’s largest composite technology centre and is on the leading edge of global research in the innovative use of composites for many new applications.

It has initiated 305 projects with 110 industry partners and 40 government agencies. This includes supporting the development of 51 technologies and 17 new processing capabilities transferred to industry and now in commercial use, and conducting research to further the development of natural fibres to support their use in industrial applications.

From 2004 to 2013, the province contributed $10.1 million to the CIC with a matching contribution from the federal government under the Canada-Manitoba Economic Partnership Agreement.

Composite materials are made by embedding strong and light strands of material, such as glass fibres or carbon threads, in a plastic material such as resin. When cured, the final product is strong and lightweight. Composites replace metal parts to reduce weight and save energy, reduce the number of parts needed and lower assembly costs. In Manitoba, composites are used in aerospace and transportation manufacturing.

The CIC is a not-for-profit corporation jointly sponsored by private industry and government.