Georgian & Lakehead Event Celebrates Innovative Business Success
May 17, 2013
Business leaders from across Simcoe County gathered at Lakehead Orillia's University Avenue campus yesterday for a Business 2 Innovation event that brought together researchers from Georgian College and Lakehead University with local business leaders. This was the third annual event presented by the two institutions to encourage collaboration and partnerships to support business success in the region.
The event, presented in cooperation with the County of Simcoe, the City of Orillia, and the Ontario Centres of Excellence, provided information on business and funding opportunities and highlighted innovative partnership projects currently underway.
Lakehead University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Brian Stevenson and Georgian College’s Vice-President, Academic, Baldev Pooni welcomed guests to the event, emphasizing the value of partnerships in supporting economic growth throughout the region. Both Stevenson and Pooni stressed the importance of research activity at the post-secondary institutions, saying they were “open for business.”
One of the success stories highlighted at the event involved the unveiling of a new “Research Garden” at the Lakehead Orillia campus. Guests were invited to see and learn about an experimental garden established recently as a result of an innovative partnership between Lakehead University and EcoPoly Solutions Inc., based in Orillia and Newmarket. Lakehead professor Dr. Chris Murray leads a research team that is working with the company to improve their degradable plastic film products. The research garden on campus will test new products designed for agricultural use worldwide.
Event participants also learned about Georgian College research partnerships with RM Products Ltd., a manufacturer of modular fiberglass structures and with OutFront Eco, a new company that has developed a residential grey water system. Lakehead University also showcased a business strategy project by Master of Business Administration students for On the Water Designs (dock systems).
The event concluded with networking opportunities and information about how to access further information about research academic partnerships. Interested businesses can contact Georgian College’s Centre for Applied Research and Innovation and Lakehead University’s Department of Economic Development and Innovation.
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MEDIA: For more information and interview opportunities, please contact Communications Officer, Kathy Hunt, at 705-330-4008 ext. 2014 or kjhunt3@lakeheadu.ca.
Lakehead University and Georgian College representatives celebrated research partnerships at the Business 2 Innovation event held yesterday (May 16) at the Lakehead Orillia campus. Showcasing a new “Research Garden” at Lakehead are (left to right): Dr. Herman van den Berg, Acting Dean, Lakehead Orillia; Derek Rynard, EcoPoly Solutions Inc.; Dr. Chris Murray, Lakehead University Orillia; Dr. Brian Stevenson, Lakehead University President & Vice-Chancellor; and Baldev Pooni, Georgian College Vice-President, Academic.
Georgian College fosters a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, preparing students to become not only job-seekers, but job creators. Working together with industry and community partners, Georgian offers relevant, cutting-edge curriculum, quality work placements and co-op experiences. With more than 100 career-focused programs across seven locations in Central Ontario (Barrie, Midland, Muskoka, Orangeville, Orillia, Owen Sound and South Georgian Bay), Georgian serves 11,000 full-time students and 28,000 Continuing Education registrants annually. Georgian received the highest score among Ontario colleges in the 2013 International Student Barometer – ranking number three in the world – and has been one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers six times and one of Canada’s Greenest Employers four years in a row.
Lakehead University is a comprehensive university with a reputation for a multidisciplinary teaching approach that emphasizes collaborative learning and independent critical thinking. Over 8,700 students and 1,850 faculty and staff learn and work at campuses located in Orillia, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, which is home to the west campus of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Lakehead University promotes innovative research that supports local and regional socio-economic needs. In Orillia, development continues on building a campus that meets Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) standards. For more information about Lakehead University, visit www.lakeheadu.ca.