Durham College’s MRC Studio gets $1.75M federal grant over five years

Durham College’s Mixed Reality Capture (MRC) Studio has received $1.75 million in federal funding over five years ($350,000 a year) through the College and Community Innovation program, according to a college announcement dated Oct. 30.

For local residents, the funding is tied to applied research work the college says is aimed at training and simulation projects developed with industry partners, and it adds to earlier public funding the studio received in 2026.

Durham College said the Technology Access Centre grant will support the MRC Studio’s work with industry partners on extended reality projects related to training, simulation and workforce development.

In the same announcement, the college said extended reality (XR) can be used in fields including advanced manufacturing, energy, defence and hazardous-workplace simulation.

The announcement included comments from Durham College staff about the studio’s work. Jason Hunter, identified as the MRC Studio’s senior manager, said the studio has been working with industry partners to convert traditional learning materials into XR-based training.

Durham College did not name any specific industry partners or projects in the announcement.

The college also referenced earlier funding for the MRC Studio: $1.886 million in 2026 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s College Fund and the Ontario Research Fund. Durham College said that earlier funding was for building an immersive research stage.

Durham College, which has campuses in Oshawa and Whitby, described the MRC Studio as its second Technology Access Centre. The college’s AI Hub received Technology Access Centre funding in 2023, according to the announcement.