Innovation Hub

In 2017 the Innovation Hub was envisioned as a cornerstone for fostering innovation within the community. Its core values centred around creativity, critical thinking, self-reflection, collaboration, and social impact. The Hub aimed to achieve its goals through structured and unstructured activities, client-focused service delivery, and by encouraging collaboration among students, staff, the general public, and businesses.

The Innovation Hub measured its success through various outcomes, such as revenue generation, student engagement, faculty engagement, and community partnerships. A variety of metrics were tracked from an internally built CRM process using SalesForce. The Hub has over 18000 people use the space for innovation activities every year.

Student engagement was fostered through programs, interdisciplinary activities, and involvement of the general student population. Employee engagement was supported through professional development and strategic initiatives. Community engagement was achieved through partnerships and brand awareness.

The operational plan for the Innovation Hub relied heavily on student positions for creating, delivering, and measuring activities. The timeline began with a start-up phase from November 2017 to August 2018, focusing on student staffing, policy, activity building, and brand awareness. Year 1 saw the full launch of the Hub, including the Innovation Certificate for students, corporate training, and activity delivery at different campuses. Over the next several years the hub continued to expand operations including activities on other campuses, and expanded internal and external partnerships.

Thanks to co-creators Dan Hendry, Steve Jannsens, and Breanne Johnson