Connecting the dots in Canada
Connecting the dots in Canada
Three weeks after swissnex’s participation in the Go Global Fair in Toronto, its director Pascal Marmier and Sebastien Hug, Project Leader, had the pleasure to return to Ontario’s capital. During the two day visit, organized by swissnex-alumnus Emil Wyss, now Deputy Head at the Consulate General in Toronto, they were very impressed by the dynamism and the innovative ideas in Toronto.
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The first encounter was with Peter Gysling, President of the Swiss-Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Toronto, who immigrated to Canada over 15 years ago and founded the IT Consulting company Mesh Innovation Inc., which is currently also looking at innovative ways to compare airline mile programs. The second stop was at the Ontario College of Arts and Design, OCAD, where its iconic campus building has become a landmark and a famous tourist destination in downtown Toronto. But innovation did not stop with the architecture; OCAD also has a plethora of innovative programs. Prof. Kate Hartman presented the Social Body Lab, where technology, art and design come together to explore the boundaries of wearable computers. Afterwards, Pascal and Sebastien took a glimpse into the classroom of the Master of Strategic Foresight program, where students from various backgrounds looked, from a design innovation perspective, at the trends shaping the society of tomorrow, and at the kind of sustainable solutions for addressing the future challenges. Finally, Jan Richards presented the Inclusive Design Research Center, another flagship project at OCAD. |
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The tour continued in the afternoon with a visit to Ryerson University, ranked#1 Canadian university for producing Leaders of Tomorrow by MacLean’s magazine. This was best illustrated by the Digital Media Lab, a fast growing incubator and accelerator where entrepreneurial students from all faculties turn their classroom ideas into innovative start-ups. Birthed from a vision of University President Sheldon Levy in 2009, the OCAD Digital Media Lab has produced 29 companies and 55 projects. |
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Finally, the eventful day ended with a reception organized by the Consulate General of Switzerland, bringing together 50 Swiss and Canadian academics from various fields. The visit in Toronto strongly illustrated the great potential for collaboration with Swiss partners, particularly in the fields of Cleantech, Life Sciences and the Creative Economy. |
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