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Dalhousie University proudly supports the work of ONE Nova Scotia, sees alignment with the coalition'€s Collaborative Action Plan

Posted by Media Centre on November 6, 2015 in News

(Halifax, NS) – Dalhousie University congratulates the ONE Nova Scotia Coalition on bringing its Collaborative Action Plan to Nova Scotians. Its complete version was released publicly today. Dalhousie University is proud to support the work of ONE Nova Scotia and is uniquely aligned with many of the themes identified by the coalition. Through the plan, ONE Nova Scotia highlights seven Action Points the coalition believes are the best opportunities for growth and benefits for the province and for Nova Scotians. In an eighth chapter it outlines plans for implementation.
 
“The ONE Nova Scotia Coalition recognizes the roles that universities play in supporting the future of this province,” says President Richard Florizone, Dalhousie University. “We see many similarities between the opportunities that ONE Nova Scotia has identified and what Dalhousie brings not just to our province, but to our region, country and the world. We offer an environment of teaching and learning excellence; a hub of world leading research, innovation and commercialization; and opportunities for our students, faculty and staff to connect with and serve our community.”

Through the Launch Dal initiative, Dalhousie offers a wide variety of courses focusing on entrepreneurship, including “Starting Lean,” a program that provides real-world, hands-on learning in starting an enterprise. Dalhousie also hosts the Collider, a dedicated space for student teams, faculty and community mentors to collaborate on start-up projects. Students can also meet with peers, mentors and external advisors to take business concepts from idea to execution at three Sandboxes hosted at Dalhousie and supported with funding from the Province of Nova Scotia, including: ShiftKey Labs in the Goldberg Computer Science Building, the Cultiv8 Sandbox on the Agricultural Campus, and the IDEA (Innovative Design and Entrepreneurship Academy) Sandbox on Sexton Campus. Dalhousie also supports student experiential learning through co-op education opportunities; there was a total of 1,775 placements last year.

 Ninety-eight per cent of industry-sponsored university research in the province takes place at Dalhousie, and the university ranks third among all U15 schools for industry-partnered research funding per professor. Industry-sponsored research supports the growth and competitiveness of the private sector to help grow the economy. Last year, Dalhousie had 412 research and service agreements, 32 patents, four technologies licensed and assisted 12 university start-ups.
 
“As the region’s largest research university, we’re also looking at building ecosystems around Dalhousie’s research strengths,” says Martha Crago, Dalhousie vice-president research and member of the ONE Nova Scotia Coalition. “We aim to be a national and international leader in our priority and emerging research areas, and we’re a strong advocate for utilizing the university’s institutional capacities to address the province’s economic, social and cultural development needs.”
 
One such project is the recently announced Centre for Ocean Innovation and Entrepreneurship (COVE) opening in a cluster of former Coast Guard buildings on the Dartmouth waterfront. Dal has been a strong advocate along with the Waterfront Development Corp, Innovacorp, NSCC and others. Dalhousie has also approved the Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI), which will be a major international research centre with Atlantic and International partners, to help understand the economic potential of the North Atlantic. Both projects have the potential to propel the Atlantic region onto the global stage.
 
“It is essential that what happens in Dal’s classrooms and in our labs ultimately connects back to and benefits our city, our province, our country and our world,” says Florizone. “Inspiring our students, connecting them with employers and improving the economy, quality of life and culture of our region is key. We all have a stake in improving the Nova Scotia economy.”

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Media Contacts

Janet Bryson
Senior Communications Advisor
Dalhousie University
902-494-1269
 
Lindsay Dowling
Communications Advisor
Dalhousie University
902-494-4189


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