image: “Our work will not only advance technological research and development but also contribute to safer, more secure, and efficient transportation systems” Burak Kantarci — Full Professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Credit: University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Ontario Research Fund – Research Excellence (ORF-RE) to support the “Secure, Intelligent and Trustworthy Ecosystems for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles” (SITE-CAV) project.
Led by Burak Kantarci,Full Professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, uOttawa’s Faculty of Engineering, the project aims to accelerate the development and integration of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs – or vehicles equipped with sensors and decision-making software that drives and controls it without direct human intervention) into Ontario’s transportation ecosystem.
This investment will enable the creation of a collaborative team of researchers from the University of Ottawa, Western University (Professors Abdallah Shami and Xianbin Wang), and the University of Toronto (Professor Birsen Donmez), in partnership with industry leaders, to develop groundbreaking solutions for the challenges posed by CAV technology.
“This funding represents a significant milestone for our research team and highlights the importance of our work,” explained Professor Kantarci. “We are committed to driving meaningful advancements in technology that will benefit not only our students and academic community but also society at large.”
The project will involve a collaboration with leading industry partners and will ensure that the research conducted is aligned with industry needs that can translate into practical applications.
SITE-CAV will also contribute to Ontario's emerging CAV sector by training some 59 highly qualified personnel over four years, including undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdoctoral researchers.
“Our work will not only advance technological research and development but also contribute to safer, more secure, and efficient transportation systems, ultimately enhancing public safety and supporting the adoption of autonomous vehicle technologies,” concluded Professor Kantarci.
The SITE-CAV project is set to commence in January 2025 at uOttawa’s Kanata-North campus at its Smart Connected Vehicles Innovation Centre, which includes its own private test-driving track.