An added feature of this year’s Big Data Congress will be the Research and Development Connector, which aims to link businesses with university researchers.

The event takes place Monday from 1 to 4 pm at the Saint John Convention Centre. It is sponsored by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, known as Nserc, T4G Ltd., and Springboard Atlantic. The computer science faculties at University of New Brunswick and Dalhousie University have also helped to organize the connector.

Here’s how it works:  the room will be filled with about 20 researchers in computer science or related faculties from various universities around the room. Business people – whether from startups or larger, more established enterprises – will take turns addressing them to explain their challenges in some aspect of IT.

The aim is for the researchers to link up with the business people and try to find ways to work together. Any partnerships have the opportunity to apply for Nserc grants, which finance work between academic researchers and private businesses.  Nserc awards six-month grants worth as much as $25,000 grant to cover the costs of hiring students and pay for resources to tackle a company’s problem.

Some businesses have signed up but the organizers are hoping for more. Registration forms are here.

Nserc and Springboard – the organization that facilitates commercialization and industry partnerships at Atlantic Canada’s post-secondary institutions -- have been holding Connector events in various sectors for a few years.