Canada’s Smartest Kitchen, the research arm of Holland College’s Culinary Institute of Canada, has been awarded $1.75 million to become one of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) new Technology Access Centres.

The NSERC Technology Access Centre grants, which are part of a pilot project, provide five-year funding for core operations of centres established by colleges to address applied research and innovation needs of local small and medium sized enterprises, enhancing their ability to be productive and innovative. Canada’s Smartest Kitchen is the only Technology Access Centre in Atlantic Canada, and one of only eight to be awarded across the country.

Canada’s Smartest Kitchen offers a full suite of services, from concept development to market entry, for the agri-food, fisheries and functional food sectors by blending culinary expertise, advanced technology capabilities and food science knowledge with a network of businesses, research organizations, academic institutions and government agency partners.

It is already a premier industry resource for the development of marketable value-added food products in Atlantic Canada, which is one of the reasons it was chosen, said Dr. Audrey Penner, Director of Applied Research at the college.

“To be recognized as one of only four colleges in Canada with the capability to be a technology access centre is a testimony to the strong applied research team at Holland College,” she said. “For the past two years, our research chefs have been working on food product development with partners in industry, and food technology centers with some amazing results. Their work has enabled Canada’s Smartest Kitchen to make a significant contribution to economic development in the region, and has earned a reputation as the premier resource for food design and innovation in Prince Edward Island, the Atlantic region, and across the country.”

As a member of Springboard Atlantic Inc, Holland College is part of an Atlantic network of research institutions focused on accelerating innovation.

In this picture: Canada’s Smartest Kitchen research chef Allan Williams, left, looks over a chart depicting the food product innovation and development process with research chef Kimball Bernard and Dr. Audrey Penner, director of applied research at Holland College. Canada’s Smartest Kitchen recently received an NSERC Technology Access Centre grant.