University of Calgary cultivating innovation

Fostering research benefits Alberta’s economy, Ed Mccauley writes.

Disheartened by a high number of domestic abuse cases, a Calgary defence lawyer asked herself how she might spark change. Rather than seek to somehow make a dent in “the system,” the lawyer decided that innovative, lasting transformation would only come via a grassroots shift in how we teach our children to be in the world.

Partnering with the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary, she helped to create one of the only research chairs in North America to explore how teachers can upend accepted gender stereotypes in the classroom that contributes to marginalization and future bullying — and, potentially, perpetuate the cycle of domestic abuse.

The lawyer could have taken her vision and support in myriad directions. She chose U of Calgary because she was convinced that this institution was set up to respond, nimbly and strategically, to a problem that matters to the community. She was right.

We’re one of the youngest research-intensive universities in the world — and, remarkably, at the relatively youthful age of 54, ranked top six in the country for research — and our focus is the creation and transfer of new knowledge to solve problems and deliver solutions to our community here, and around the world. We support the journey of talented students who are the arc to future prosperity. We both lead and serve our community, and bring to life ideas that enrich and diversify our economy and enliven and improve all of our lives.

U of Calgary is committed to building an increasingly robust innovation ecosystem — that is, a web of programs, incubators, competitions, technologies, mentoring networks, seed funding, and community partnerships on campus and throughout Calgary that bridges the transition from discovery through to delivering solutions. This strategically connected web is key to expanding and deepening our ability to respond to the current and future needs of our community, locally, nationally and globally, in every sector.

Over the past few years, scholars at the University of Calgary have made hundreds of inventions and innovations, produced scores of patents and licensed dozens of discoveries. As well as advancing knowledge and improving the world in countless ways, each one of these singular achievements translates into positive social change and diverse, beneficial economic activity in our city and beyond.

Ucalgary is where breakthrough ideas happen, where challenges, solutions, new treatments are explored and discovered. Those discoveries, however, don’t help anyone if they stay in the “lab.” Our faculty and students are empowered to translate crucial research into viable solutions that benefit society. A recent, striking example is Parvus Therapeutics, a company born out of medical research conducted at U of Calgary, that recently signed a deal with Genentech to commercialize a revolutionary new drug; a deal poised to expedite treatments to those suffering debilitating autoimmune diseases here and around the world.

In the Haskayne School of Business, the Creative Destruction Lab-rockies has raised $14 million in venture capital to support new enterprises that are a direct result of research at universities — research that has direct implications to immediate, and future challenges, such as making oilsands production more efficient, productive and cost-effective, as well as making headway in unconventional resource development.

It’s well established that research universities around the world benefit their local and regional economies by attracting and developing highly skilled workers, facilitating knowledge transfer to the market and attracting investment. With our unique entrepreneurial focus, U of Calgary is well-positioned to continue to spur economic activity in Alberta.

We continue to encourage research and innovation among undergraduate and graduate students, and post-doctoral scholars — more than 34,000 strong. It feeds their curiosity, of course, but it also develops their skills, talents, and leadership capacities, which will help grow our economy.

In response to evolving labour market requirements, we’ve created new spaces for students in software engineering. Our faculty of nursing has launched the first program in Canada for busy health professionals, a one-year graduate certificate for master of nursing. Similar stackable certificates are being deployed in engineering, data sciences, security and privacy, mathematical finance and geospatial IT — all designed to give individuals wanting to upgrade their skills the tools they need to succeed in new economies.

All of the work at U of Calgary is guided and driven by our community. In addition to attracting many millions of dollars in research funds every year that support local jobs, it’s your curiosity, your voice, your involvement, your volunteerism and your philanthropic support that fuels the creation of new knowledge, drives innovation and attracts the best and the brightest from every corner of the planet. We’re energized by you, and proud to be part of this city that invests in research, students, ideas and technology, and nourishes discovery and innovation that benefits all of us.

Ed Mccauley is president and vice-chancellor of the University of Calgary.