The Canada Foundation for Innovation has awarded the Centre for Innovative Management at Athabasca University a $210,000 grant for the creation of an online Research Institute for the Study of Supply Chain Management.
This latest amount complements the $210,000 from Alberta Innovation and Science, plus in-kind and cash contributions of $2,000,000 from SAP America, $76,000 from other Canadian corporate participants and $92,500 from Athabasca University for a total project cost of $2,588,500.
“We’ve assembled an international research team for this collaborative research at Athabasca University’s Online Executive MBA School,” said Peter Carr, associate director of AU’s Centre for Innovative Management.
Supply chain management is the planning and co-ordination of the flow of materials and services from their source to the user as an integrated system.
The technology available today does not allow companies to fully integrate their information systems across the participating companies in a whole supply chain. The Research Institute for the Study of Supply Chain Management will provide a virtual laboratory simulation of the tools that will be available to business in the future.
The lab will exist online and researchers will study the activities of real business managers, who will participate in simulated business scenarios via the Internet on their desktops from around the world. The practical results produced will better prepare business people to use these technologies in the future.
“This world-class infrastructure will provide Canadian researchers and business with substantial international advantage in the application of supply chain technology, a critical determinant of business competitive success,” said David Strangway, president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
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