Ontario Construction News staff writer
Ottawa’s Carleton University recently confirmed plans to construct a purpose-built innovation space in at Kanata North’s Hub350.
When it opens, the facility will provide a new “ecosystem” for partners from industry, finance and academia to collaborate and a space for Carleton to expand research and educational partnerships with more than 540 companies in west Ottawa’s Kanata North Business Park.
Construction on the 2,000-sq. ft. space is scheduled to start in June.
“This unique facility in Kanata North fully leverages our proximity to this national innovation hub and further enhances Carleton’s reputation as a leader in high-tech research, teaching and innovation,” said Carleton President Benoit Antoine-Bacon.
“In close contact with tech industry leaders, our students will cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and benefit from hands-on learning towards leadership positions in this critical sector.”
Scheduled to open at 350 Legget Dr., home of the original Mitel Networks campus, Hub350 will be a state-of-the-art, 12,000-sq. ft. technology centre serving as a “gateway to the world-class tech, finance and academic research ecosystem in Kanata North”.
The facility will open after Labour Day and feature collaboration and meeting rooms, a café and garden terrace where faculty, staff and students can connect with more than 540 companies in the tech park, many of which already work with the university on research projects and/or hire co-op students.
“Carleton will work with Kanata North businesses to develop new talent pipelines and opportunity for cross-disciplinary and work-integrated learning, and our student entrepreneurs will connect more easily with Kanata North businesses,” said Dana Brown, dean of the Sprott School of Business.
“Overall, Carleton seeks to help create a feedback loop where tech park strengths support university research and learning, which in turn bolsters private-sector success that feeds back into the university.”