If the idea is determined to qualify as an industrial capstone project, it will occur within education programming cycles, either eight months beginning in January and running through to August or from September to April of the following year. These projects become part of the curriculum of a specified course. For partners, this means that there can be several students working on a specific project to develop or perfect a desired outcome. For students, this means they have the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills, acquired in their specific program, to solve a real-world challenge.

To get an industrial capstone project started, the Barrett CTI will meet with the stakeholder to determine parameters of the project. Then a prospective Faculty and/or department will be involved to assist with incorporating the project into the course curriculum. Under the supervision of faculty members, and with the active involvement of students, the project is implemented and managed from inception to completion. Over the course of the project, data is collected, milestones and timelines monitored, and progress communicated to the stakeholder. Once the project comes to a conclusion, the team will determine if the metrics decided at the outset were achieved and if the project was a success.

The role of the Office of Research & Innovation (ORI) is to help industry partners engage in applied research with faculty members and students, solving real-world problems and increasing innovation capacity. The process begins by connecting with the partner to understand the challenge and determine how ORI can add value. Next, ORI works with the relevant Faculties to identify researchers with specialized expertise for the project. Opportunities to access research funding, including government grants available through federal and provincial funding programs are identified and organizational eligibility is confirmed. While the application timeline and process depend on the granting agency and the funding requested, ORI supports the faculty researcher and partner in completing the grant application. Should the project be funded, ORI oversees awarded funds, project timelines, and financial reporting, among other functions. Partners are able to execute their project with support from expert faculty researchers, skilled innovation-ready talent, and state-of-the-art R&D facilities.