Norma Schneider
Vice-President, Academic,
NorQuest College
Martin Boucher
Research Chair, Sustainability,
NorQuest College
Andrea Urbina
CEO,
ELIXR Simulations
Through strategic partnerships and hands-on student
involvement, NorQuest College is transforming applied
research into real-world solutions.
Innovation and research are critical to businesses and industries in Canada as they support the development of new products and services, help keep Canadian organizations competitive, and attract investment. Beyond this, innovation and research are vital to strengthening Canadian communities and creating positive social impact.
Amidst difficult times — with slow economic growth, rapidly evolving industries thanks to the rise of AI and other technologies, the growing threat of climate change, and other challenges — it has never been more important to invest in innovation and research, and to highlight the Canadian organizations leading the way.
Edmonton’s NorQuest College is one of these organizations. As one of Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges — having moved from 25th place in 2023 to 15th place in 2024 — NorQuest is an important player in applied research, focusing on the social side of research and driving business improvement. Its research activities and partnerships are making a big impact on local businesses and communities alike.
A unique interdisciplinary approach
NorQuest College takes a unique approach to applied research, providing social innovation and research for business, industry, and community. “At NorQuest, we’ve really built on our strengths by taking an interdisciplinary approach with a focus on community impact,” says Norma Schneider, Vice-President, Academic at NorQuest College. “We ask ourselves how we can engage with policy and create solutions that are equitable and accessible. That approach, combined with how we involve our students in the research, has helped us find this niche for ourselves as a college that focuses on the social side of research, whereas a lot of other colleges and polytechnics focus on technology and science.”
At NorQuest, we’ve really built on our strengths by taking an interdisciplinary approach with a focus on community impact.
The college’s research regularly involves students as hired research assistants, on work-integrated learning placements, or as students working on course-based applied research projects. “Our students don’t just observe research — they actively participate,” says Schneider. Involving students benefits their education and ensures that NorQuest’s research partners receive solutions to their challenges.
The power of partnerships
NorQuest’s approach to research and innovation is client-focused to improve processes, implement new models of operations, evaluate existing services and supports, and help partners enter new sectors of business. In addition to business, industry, and not-for-profits, the college partners with all levels of government (municipal, provincial, federal, and Indigenous), universities, and different consortia.
“Our strategic partnerships aren’t just enhancing our work — they’re integral to it,” says Schneider. “Research that makes a community impact, that delivers real-world solutions, can’t be done in isolation.”
Our strategic partnerships aren’t just enhancing our work — they’re integral to it.
“Partnerships help us ask the right questions,” adds Martin Boucher, Research Chair, Sustainability at NorQuest College. “Applied research isn’t about working in isolation — it’s about co-developing solutions with industry, government, and communities to ensure that the research is truly relevant.”
Transforming industries
One recent partnership was with ELIXR Simulations, a non-profit organization harnessing virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies to transform education.
“NorQuest is a leader in applied research and workforce development, making them a natural partner for us,” says Andrea Urbina, ELIXR Simulations’ CEO. “Applied research is key to helping us shape the future of experiential learning through new approaches like the integration of immersive technology.”
NorQuest and ELIXR partnered on a virtual reality soft skills project. “The project gives job seekers a safe space to practise interview skills and workplace interactions in a low-pressure, realistic setting,” says Urbina.
Tackling real-world issues
NorQuest College’s Mobilize-funded Research Chairs — which include Boucher as well as JP Armstrong, Research Chair in Community-Based Research, and Brooke Leifso, Research Chair in Workplace Accessibility and Inclusion — and other researchers at the institution are tackling some of today’s most pressing real-world issues. From helping communities diversify energy options and making workplaces more accessible to improving seniors’ care and advancing eye care services, their work provides economic and social value by helping businesses innovate, supporting policy development, and providing students with hands-on research opportunities.
Recent projects with nation-wide impact include work by the Colbourne Institute for Inclusive Leadership, partnerships between NorQuest’s Faculty of Skills and Foundational Learning and settlement programs across Canada, international research with the University of Sussex, seniors’ care research initiatives across Alberta, and a completed project with Operation Eyesight India.
Every project has real-life impact. “A few years ago, we conducted the first-ever census of renewable energy cooperatives in Canada,” says Boucher. “That research directly led to national collaboration, bringing organizations together to build tangible solutions.”
Partner with NorQuest College to drive real-world solutions and create meaningful community impact. Get started today at norquest.ca/research.
