Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada donates $2.1 million to Canadian university to drive AM research
December 12, 2019
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) located in Cambridge, Ontario, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, has invested $2.1 million to the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, to advance Additive Manufacturing research and engineering education.
According to the university, TMMC’s investment is the largest single donation to have been received by any Canadian university, which will launch a unique undergraduate engineering innovation challenge and support a variety of student, research and outreach initiatives.
In recognition of TMMC’s financial support, a wing on the third floor of the university’s Engineering 7 building which is dedicated to faculty and student research in Additive Manufacturing, will be renamed the Toyota Additive Manufacturing Wing. The funding will also enable the Toyota Engineering Innovation Challenge which will involve a half-day “take-over” of the Waterloo Engineering Ideas Clinic®.
Additionally, TMMC will be the title sponsor of the university’s annual AutoTech Symposium for the next five years. The annual one-day event, now called the UWaterloo Autotech Symposium, presented by Toyota, brings together automotive and information technology innovators, connecting decision-makers across the converging auto and IT landscape.
TMMC is a past recipient of Waterloo Engineering’s Friend of the Faculty Award which was presented to the company in recognition of its strong commitment to joint research ventures, financial contributions to student projects and awards, and mentoring and hiring numerous alumni and students.
Fred Volf, President of TMMC, stated, “Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada has a long history with the University of Waterloo, and we look forward to extending this partnership by further investing in their important research and education. Toyota shares many of Waterloo Engineering’s research priorities, and we’re proud to be supporting them as they continue to drive engineering innovation forward.”
“The University of Waterloo is proud to have Toyota as a key partner in our automotive research, as well as a long-term employer in our co-operative education program,” commented Feridun Hamdullahpur, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo. “It is investments like these that have allowed our institution to undertake more automotive research than any other university in Canada.”
“Our partnership with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada allows our students and researchers to tackle difficult engineering and business challenges facing the automotive industry and come up with truly new and sustainable solutions that will strengthen the competitiveness of the Canadian sector,” explained Pearl Sullivan, Dean of Waterloo Engineering. “Today’s gift of $2.1 million will go a long way in ensuring that we can offer them the resources and opportunities they need to make a difference.”
