Province funds creation of innovation cluster
North Bay, ON - New funding from the Province of Ontario will grow intellectual property literacy within multiple institutions and ecosystems across Northern and rural areas of Ontario, including Nipissing University in North Bay. This funding, distributed by Intellectual Property Ontario (IPON), will foster the creation of a Northern and rural innovation cluster focused on critical minerals, cleantech, and battery electric technologies. Led by Laurentian, the partnership includes Lakehead, Trent, and Nipissing Universities and will provide $294,000 for the one-year pilot project.
“For Nipissing University, the collaborative nature of this pilot project means we will be able to benefit from the expertise of our partner institutions, build meaningful connections with industry, and offer education on intellectual property to our researchers that will ultimately enable us to pursue more commercialization opportunities,” said Dr. Barbi Law, Interim Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Nipissing University.
The funding will support the hiring of an Industry Liaison Officer, shared across the four institutions, to leverage IPON’s educational and commercialization resources to augment intellectual property (IP) literacy, improve connectivity between stakeholders, and facilitate economic development through industry and academic collaboration in research and innovation.
“This cluster will increase our collective knowledge of intellectual property, which is an important area of growth for both Nipissing University and the province, and one that will have a positive impact on our economies into the future,” said Amber McCarthy, Manager, Research and Innovation, Nipissing University.
The initiative aligns with Ontario’s Critical Minerals Strategy, linking research and commercialization expertise at post-secondary institutions with industry and innovation ecosystem partners to accelerate the development and adoption of new technologies.
IPON was created by the Government of Ontario in April 2022 to provide intellectual property supports and services to help businesses and researchers innovate and grow.
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Lakehead University Media Contact:
Ellen MacKay
Director, Innovation Development
Lakehead University
emackay@lakeheadu.ca
Laurentian University Media Contact:
Gisele Roberts
Director, Research and Innovation
Laurentian University
groberts@laurentian.ca
Nipissing University Media Contact:
Carly Johnston
Communications Officer
Nipissing University
communications@nipissingu.ca
Trent University Media Contact:
Christopher Rooney
Senior Director, Research and Innovation
Trent University
chrisrooney@trentu.ca