CUE receives federal funding for further development of Maiya technology

Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) is pleased to announce that it has received $160,500 from Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED) through Accessible Technology Program (ATP) to continue the development of Maiya technology, CUE’s intelligent learning assistant to help students access resources for academic success and campus services such as health, wellness and career development. The project will be co-led by CUE’s Innovation Hub and Campus Wellness. 

Maiya, a companion assistive technology, is based on intelligent conversational “natural language processing” based machine learning algorithms that can support learners in accessing and synthesizing information, create a personalized knowledge database and enable the user to apply the learnings in their day-to-day activities.  

CUE received the initial funding for this project in 2021 that led to the creation of the prototype. This new funding will support the deployment and further user validation of this machine learning based assistive technology. 

“The utilization of artificial intelligence for development of companion assistive technologies in campus wellness is becoming increasingly prevalent, with Maiya technology being at the forefront of this innovative trend” says Dr. Isha Katyal, Associate Vice-President of Innovation. “With this renewed support from ATP, we will be able to integrate a user-informed approach for further development and deployment of the Maiya technology on CUE campus.”  

As the demand for campus wellness services continues to soar, Maiya technology has the potential to serve as the initial touchpoint for CUE students to access the digital ecosystem of support and resources, providing guidance throughout their academic journey, and promoting student wellness,” says Dr. Keely Cronin, Associate Vice-President, Student Life & Learning

CUE is one the eleven successful projects funded nationally by ATP. Information on other projects funded by ATP this year can be found here. 

About Accessible Technology Program (ATP)

The ATP funds innovative projects led by the private sector, not-for-profit organizations, and research institutions to develop new assistive and adaptive devices and technologies to enable Canadians with disabilities to fully participate in the digital economy. For more information, visit https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/accessible-technology-program/en