Joint statement issued by Queen's, City on proposed strategic partnership

Joint statement issued by Queen's, City on proposed strategic partnership

January 19, 2017

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The following is a joint statement issued by Mayor Bryan Paterson and Principal Daniel Woolf regarding a proposal for a strategic partnership between the City of Kingston and Queen's University.

The City of Kingston and Queen's University have a long history of collaboration on many initiatives, and for the past several months have discussed how we can take that collaboration a step further. We are now proposing that the City and Queen’s strike a formal partnership to help build a more prosperous community.

On Tuesday, Jan. 24, City Council will be asked to consider approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and Queen’s that would see us work closely together to pursue opportunities in support of innovation, economic development and the retention of more of our young people. If approved by Council, the MOU will serve as a mechanism for enhanced collaboration and pooled resources in pursuit of our shared innovation agenda.

Queen’s is already committed to fostering economic development through education, research, innovation and commercialization, and welcomes the City’s desire to be interconnected in this vision moving forward. Some of the opportunities that could be pursued through this partnership include:

  • Developing experiential learning opportunities for students through internships and post-graduation internship employment programs
  • Furthering the development of student-led entrepreneurial enterprises in the community through various initiatives, including the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre
  • Building on the work currently done at Innovation Park and exploring future opportunities
  • Jointly pursuing further partnerships and investments in Kingston from the provincial and federal governments

This proposed MOU, if approved by Council, would be another example of Queen’s and the City working together to pursue opportunities to build a more dynamic innovation ecosystem in Kingston. We know that when given the opportunity to work collaboratively to address important problems and identify solutions, creative minds will yield benefits not only for the region, but nationally and globally as well. Together, we can establish Queen’s and Kingston as leaders in attracting and supporting the next generation of influencers, innovators, researchers, and entrepreneurs.

Mayor Bryan Paterson and Principal Daniel Woolf