Fifty-five University spin-offs established at least 3 years ago are still active.
Our goals in action
Research and innovation
The 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded jointly to Queen’s Professor Dr. Arthur B. McDonald and Dr. Takaaki Kajita.
![[Photo of Dr. Arthur B. McDonald at SNOLAB]](/social-impact/sites/sdgwww/files/uploaded_images/20151022---Arthur-B.-McDonald-Photoshoot-26.jpg)
Leading the way in research
We are proud to be one of Canada’s leading universities for research. Queen’s is a member of the U15 group of Canadian Research Universities, a collective of the country’s most research-intensive post-secondary institutions, and we are ranked #3 in research awards among Canadian Institutions. We are also honoured to have 49 Canada Research Chairs on our faculty.
![[Photo of the SNO+ neutrino detector at SNOLAB]](/social-impact/sites/sdgwww/files/uploaded_images/Chen2016.jpg)
Teaching and student life
Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre
The Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre is a pan-university initiative that encourages and supports the innovation and entrepreneurship activities of students, professors, entrepreneurs, and community members. Programs are vast and include the QIC Summer Initiative Program, QyourVenture Accelerator Program, The Foundry, Regional Pitch Competition Series, Konnect, The Hive, Rose Innovation Hub, and SparQ Studios Makerspace.
"Queen’s supports innovation and entrepreneurship by facilitating students’ access to the resources, networks, programs and mentors they need to collaborate and transform ideas into products, services, and organizations that make a difference in the world.”
— Greg Bavington, Executive Director of the Queen’s Innovation Centre (DDQIC), Special Advisor to the Provost, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Our on-campus off-grid house
The Queen’s Solar Design Team provides hands-on experience and education to students interested in sustainable technology development. The team is designing and engineering a fully off-grid, autonomous house, the Queen's Solar Education Centre (QSEC), on our West Campus. The house is Kingston’s cutting-edge hub for resource efficiency research, hosting tours, community events, children’s camps, and school workshops.
Community impact
Partners in innovation
Through Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation (QPI), we offer services, resources, and programs to support entrepreneurs, including those from Queen’s, to accelerate the growth of startups and small to medium-sized enterprises within Kingston and Eastern Ontario.
Empowering women entrepreneurs in our community
The WE-CAN project at Queen’s works with local community partners in the Kingston area to inspire and empower existing and aspiring women-identifying entrepreneurs. The program, which has supported over 800 women in the community since it began in 2019, equips participants with resources, expert mentors, and networks to help them expand existing businesses and to launch new ventures in Kingston and the surrounding area.
Global reach
Research addressing the world’s most pressing issues
Queen’s is home to 24 institutional and faculty-based research centres and institutes that support interdisciplinary networks. Through international collaboration, research, and comparative approaches they develop international best practice around contributing to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ask critical questions ranging from dark matter, to divisive societies, and energy transition.
![[Photo of a UV light train]](/social-impact/sites/sdgwww/files/uploaded_images/Cichocki_2019.jpg)
Administration and operations
Applying the gold standard of green buildings
The LEED building certification commitment (LEED) certification program, administered by the Canadian Green Building Council, is the leading benchmark for the design and operation of high-performance green buildings. The School of Kinesiology and the Goodes Hall West Wing are LEED certified. Additionally, the John Deutsch University Centre (JDUC) renovation project is registered and awaiting certification.
![[Photo of Goodes Hall and the Smith School of Business]](/social-impact/sites/sdgwww/files/uploaded_images/20120928-GB-Goodes-Hall-Expansion002-Edit.jpg)
The master plan
Our Campus Master Plan requires new buildings be designed to minimize their environmental impacts, contribute to the campus’s overall sustainability, and apply LEED standards, with a focus on designing for flexibility, adaptability, and longevity.
Sprouting in the sky
Green roofs reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy consumption. Queen’s has installed Green Roofs on several buildings, including Goodes Hall, Jeffery Hall, the New Medical Building, Biosciences, and Botterell Hall.
