MPB Communications receives grant for Canada-Brazil Technology Partnership from ISTPCanada
Montreal, Canada - On Wednesday, August 18th, Peter Van Loan, Minister of International Trade, visited MPB Communications Inc. in Montreal, Quebec, to announce that they have been selected as the Canadian partner in a joint Canada-Brazil collaborative research and development program.
Co-funded by International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada (ISTPCanada), and FAPESP in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, and the participating companies, MPB will be given $ 300,000 plus R&D tax credits for their part in the development of a highly adaptable, easy to operate optical communication platform that seamlessly integrates into the OPGW (Optical Ground Wire) networks existing in the utilities market.
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| International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan (centre) gets a demonstration from research scientist Vladimir Karpov as CEO Morrel P. Bachynski on the left looks on.
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The product being developed, named LightSpan, will combine the optical amplifier and wavelength conversion technology skills at MPBC with the optical management and monitoring systems skills at FiberWorks Communication of Brazil, MPB’s partner for this venture.
This joint R&D project shall benefit both participating companies and countries, creating a new marketable product and highly qualified jobs in both regions in the emerging areas of photonics, optical communications, advanced electronics and software engineering.
Also speaking at the press conference, Dr. Morrel Bachynski, President of MPB Communications, explained that “the ISTPCanada Program is giving the company the opportunity to collaborate with our partner in Brazil on a level that we would not, at this time, be able to achieve otherwise, accelerating our product developments and enhancing our competitiveness in the terrestrial fiber optic market worldwide.”
FiberWork and MPBC started their partnership about 3 years ago, and have already derived successful results in Brazil, Mexico and Spain. They expect to bring their first new joint product to market within the next two years.
About MPB Communications Inc.
Renowned for their highly-reliable, innovative designs, the company has been recognized with numerous awards including the Canadian Enterprise Award, three Canada Awards for Business Excellence, Mercuraides Business of the Year, The Canadian Export Award and the Fibre Optic Product News Technology award.
MPB is ISO9001 accredited with offices across Canada and its head office and R&D facilities centralized in Montreal Quebec.
About FiberWork Communication
FiberWork supplies innovative cost-effective products and services for next generation optical communication networks. Its product portfolio include Remote Fiber Monitoring System and Software Suite for Design, Management and Database Systems of Long Distance, Metropolitan and FTTH Optical Networks. Its service portfolio includes Specialized Fiber Characterization and Optical Diagnostics of Installed Fiber.