Launched in 2008 and located at 945 Princess Street in Kingston, Innovation Park at Queen’s University was established to be a community of innovators and specialists where academia, industry, government and not-for-profits worked together to cultivate ideas, identify and transform technological discoveries, and propel innovations into the marketplace. During the 2014-2019 period, Queen’s pivoted the Innovation Park model to focus on delivery of programs and services to entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs in the Kingston region, in collaboration with many regional partners, rather than real estate. Also, during this time, ownership and operations of the facility transitioned from Novelis, a founding partner of Innovation Park, to GGTC.
Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation championed the Innovation Park models throughout the 2008 to 2019 period. During the 2008 to 2016 period, more than 50 companies/organizations located in Innovation Park and engaged with and received support via Queen’s. During the 2014 to 2019 period, Queen’s and its partners engaged with more than 550 entrepreneurs and companies via the Canada Accelerator and Incubator Program (CAIP). More than 100 companies incubated in Queen’s premises at Innovation Park, and more than 400 companies received support via CAIP-enabled programs and services delivered by Queen’s and its partners.
In October 2019, the Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation team established the Queen’s Startup Runway in the Seaway Coworking building at 310 Bagot Street, and, in collaboration with several partners, launched a new suite of programs and services for entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs in Kingston and region.