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OPIC funding attracts Swedish firm to Toronto

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, May 6, 2009

Ryerson University's Ubiquitous and Pervasive Computing Lab (UPCL) and Appear (Stockholm, Sweden) have formed a strategic research partnership known as Appear Research Labs - North America - the first North American presence for the Swedish firm.

OPIC's continuing financial support of the work of Ryerson's Dr. Alireza Sadeghian, and Hossein Rahnama, as well as an Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) International Scholarship, helped to create this strategic research relationship. UPCL's context-sensitive, mobile computing research made them a natural fit for the real-world applications at Appear.

"Dr. Sadeghian and Rahnama's research played an important role in Appear's recent successes", says Xavier Aubry, CEO at Appear. "Appear Research Labs delivered oustanding technical innovation which in turn attracted major industry players such as Logica and SITA".

Appear, one of Europe's leading context-aware mobile middleware providers, recently announced a partnership with SITA, the airline IT specialist.  Appear and SITA are implementing the first-ever, context-aware, mobile platform for the air transport industry (ATI) beginning with three airlines: one in each of Sweden, Portugal and the Netherlands. The hosted context-aware test platform is able to support multiple mobile application scenarios (including passenger and baggage processing, aircraft and airport operations).

The instant provision of targeted information is the next step in major productivity gains. For example receiving up-to-the minute information on-the-spot via a mobile device allows aircraft turnaround with one duty manager for 4-5 aircraft rather than the present "norm" of one duty manager per aircraft turnaround. One airline is projecting double-digit reductions in aircraft line maintenance intervention time and critical work-process improvements.

Appear Research Labs will initially support growth strategies for the company in the transportation industry, such as deployment opportunities in North American similar to those already implemented in Europe. In addition, Appear Research Labs will focus on developing technology for context-aware mobile consumer applications.

For more information re Appear Research Labs - NA or Ryerson's UPCL please contact: Theresa Erskine, Office of Research Services, Ryerson University

For more information re OPIC please contact: Karen Zavitz, Managing Director,OPIC

*The Ontario Partnership for Innovation and Commercializaton (OPIC) is a network of 7 Ontario universities: Brock, Lakehead, Laurentian, Nipissing, Ryerson, Trent and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, working together to increase technology transfer, commercialization and entrepreneurial culture.

Presented by Ontario Partnership for Innovation and Commercialization
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