Technology services firm Vee Technologies and Sona Group of educational institutions have signed an agreement with Toronto-based University Health Network (UHN) to develop smart fabric-based wearables.

The aim is to improve the lives of people living with health-related challenges. As part of the agreement, Bengaluru and New York co-headquartered Vee Technologies will make significant cash contributions to the current and future research projects to be undertaken by the collaborating institutions, universities and hospitals in Canada.

Vee Technologies and Sona group of institutions will be the only partners outside North America. The collaboration will contribute to FIBRE, a research initiative that will be fuelled by the UHN hospital network, which includes Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and The Michener Institute of Education.

"This initiative will help bring together multidisciplinary expertise in order to develop textiles and garments that can support the growing needs of the healthcare sector for people in Canada, India and beyond. The health benefits are far-reaching," said Dr Bradly G Wouters, Executive Vice President, Science and Research, University Health Network. Tamil Nadu-based Sona Group of education institutions will contribute to the FIBRE project through their faculty, laboratories and facilities.

"We hope that the application of this long-term research will bring much-needed relief to millions facing health challenges. When some of these products get to the market, those of us in India will be the big beneficiaries," said C Valliappa, Chairman, Sona Group of Education Institutions.

Counsel General of India, Apoorva Srivastava, said that the coming together of the best scientific minds from India and Canada would lead to new breakthroughs to meet the healthcare needs of people in India, Canada and across the world.

"Looking at the path-breaking research to be carried out by FIBRE network that ranges from nano-technology embedded fibre and fabric to smart wearables that will help healthcare professionals to deliver a better life for patients and elderly, Vee Technologies and Sona group of institutions is committing multi-million-dollar investment and the best brains to the initiative," noted Chocko Valliappa, CEO, Vee Technologies.

This investment will be used to fund several research and development projects in the wearable technology space.