MRC Studio becomes DC’s second Technology Access Centre with new grant

The Mixed Reality Capture (MRC) Studio at Durham College (DC) has been recognized as a national leader in extended reality (XR) innovation, receiving a $1.75-million Technology Access Centre (TAC) grant from the federal College and Community Innovation (CCI) program.

The funding will provide $350,000 annually over the next five years supporting their work with industry partners to develop immersive XR solutions that are transforming training, simulation, and workforce development across multiple sectors.

While XR technologies have traditionally been associated with gaming and entertainment, their applications are expanding into fields such as advanced manufacturing, energy, defence and hazardous workplace simulation. Through the MRC Studio, DC researchers are helping organizations leverage these technologies to create engaging, hands-on learning experiences that improve training outcomes and operational readiness.

“This recognition amplifies our reputation as a centre of excellence and shows potential clients that our teams are at the leading edge of the very advanced technologies that they’re working with,” said Debbie McKee Demczyk, Associate Vice President, Innovation and Research.

Jason Hunter, Senior Manager of the MRC Studio, noted they have already been working with industry partners to transform traditional learning materials into immersive, hands-on XR experiences that improve engagement and practical training outcomes.

“We are seeing broader adoption of the technology, and have adapted our services and expanded our efforts to help organizations leverage its potential,” he said. “We’re getting really good traction from our partners who are finding new ways for XR to engage their clients in training.”

The new grant is a perfect complement to the $1.886 million funding the MRC Studio received earlier this year from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) – College Fund and the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) for the building of a state-of-the-art immersive research stage.

“That grant equips us well from an infrastructure point of view. We have the equipment and the expertise, and now through Tech Access Canada we can maintain that expertise and start to deliver long-term projects with partners,” explained Hunter.

With this funding, the talented professionals at the MRC Studio will continue to develop their skills as they contribute to the business community, while offering terrific experiential learning opportunities for DC students to work with emerging technologies and contribute to research projects.

This is DC’s second TAC designation — The AI Hub also received TAC funding in 2023.

Learn more about the MRC Studio and Durham College’s applied research initiatives.