UWindsor Annual Report 2007/2008

A new Institute for Diagnostic Imaging Research at the University of Windsor received a $5 million investment from the Ontario government and will focus on developing commercially viable products.

"The institute represents a model of research operations with an obligation to bring final products to the market," says the Institute's founding director Roman Maev, a professor of physics. "We will select projects that have a high probability of commercial application at the end of the process."

The institute will bring together researchers and industry to develop acoustical imaging technologies and processes. Acoustical imaging uses sound to peer into objects without damaging them. Potential applications include:

• Non-destructive testing systems for quality assurance in sectors such as automotive, aircraft, energy and agriculture;

• Medical imaging systems for use in hospitals and clinics, and

• More effective biometric identification security systems.

Industry estimates peg the global market for such applications at over $20 billion.

In announcing the $5 million grant, Minister of Research and Innovation John Wilkinson said the institute will help make Windsor a focal point for research and innovation development across Ontario and around the world.

"The economy of the future is about turning innovative ideas into new products and services," Wilkinson said. "We must create an economy that is capable of constant evolution. Our skilled workforce and our world-class researchers will enable us to create jobs—jobs that haven't even been invented yet."