sprouting potential
A thriving innovation ecosystem at Memorial
sprouting potential
A thriving innovation ecosystem at Memorial
sprouting potential
A thriving innovation ecosystem at Memorial
sprouting potential
A thriving innovation ecosystem at Memorial
sprouting potential
A thriving innovation ecosystem at Memorial
Whether sunlight is glinting off St. John’s harbour or the city is wreathed in fog, it’s easy to get lost in a daydream while visiting Memorial’s Signal Hill Campus.
Panoramic windows overlook the water and comfortable, accessible seating areas are sprinkled throughout the building to encourage thought, conversation and collaboration.
Look a little closer, though, and you’ll see a hive of activity.
Signal Hill Campus is home to the Emera Innovation Exchange, which includes Genesis, the Gardiner Centre, the Harris Centre, and the Office of Public Engagement. Graduate students can avail of Signal Hill Accommodations—furnished, condo-like single rooms with private washrooms and shared kitchens while the public can access bookable meeting spaces and a conference centre that promotes university-public interaction. Other occupants include Memorial’s Pensioners’ Association, the Newfoundland Quarterly and public partner, Business and Arts Newfoundland and Labrador.
Signal Hill Campus
Jennifer Adams is the interim director, strategic operations (Signal Hill Campus) and Conference and Event Services. She says that since its opening in September 2018, the vision of the facility becoming a provincial innovation and public engagement hub is being realized.
Jennifer Adams
“Signal Hill Campus is built for collaborating, learning and connecting,” she said. “It is a place for fostering social and economic innovation, where the issues facing our community, province, country and globe can be laid out, consumed and tackled.”
Supporting young entrepreneurs
Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship has been an increasing focus throughout Memorial.
At Signal Hill Campus and across the institution, there are numerous centres aimed at inspiring and supporting young entrepreneurs.
From left: Michelle Simms, Florian Villaumé and Nicole Helwig lead the Genesis Centre, the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship and the Centre for Social Enterprise respectively.
Genesis, Memorial’s flagship business incubation centre, helps accelerate the development of promising ideas into formal startup enterprises. In the entrepreneurship development process, at the idea generation and early-validation stage, the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship, located on the St. John’s campus, feeds the earliest stage of the startup funnel. The Centre for Social Enterprise, also located on the St. John’s campus, helps students discover how social enterprises develop innovative and sustainable ways to address social and environmental challenges.
While the three centres operate as distinct entities, their student programs support and complement each other.
On Newfoundland’s West Coast, Navigate, a partnership of Memorial’s Grenfell Campus and the Corner Brook campus of College of the North Atlantic (CNA), is supporting entrepreneurs through its business incubator and makerspace. The Navigate Business Incubator, located at College of the North Atlantic, and the Navigate Makerspace, at Grenfell Campus, aim to support business diversification and create a stronger culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.
This work received a significant boost in September 2018 when energy company Emera Inc. made a $7-million contribution to Memorial in support of innovation and entrepreneurship. The three centres on the St. John’s campus, along with Navigate in Corner Brook, will benefit from the investment.
Scott Balfour, president of Emera, says the company is committed to supporting the leaders of tomorrow.
“Emera is proud to enable a broad innovation network that allows entrepreneurs to pursue their ideas at home,” he said. “The products resulting from the Emera Innovation Exchange will not only benefit Newfoundland and Labrador, but the entire region.”
In recognition of this substantial gift, the public engagement and innovation space at Signal Hill Campus was named the Emera Innovation Exchange.
Pursuing an entrepreneurial path
Loujein Mouammer is a master’s student in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and a former resident of Signal Hill Campus.
Loujein Mouammer
Originally from Syria, Ms. Mouammer completed an undergraduate degree at the American University of Beirut in engineering with the idea of finding a good job in a traditional office. She quickly learned that she wasn’t meant for that type of work. She realized her passion lay in renewable energy and decided to apply to a master of engineering program at Memorial.
“As an active graduate student at Memorial, I attended several conferences to expand my knowledge about green opportunities in the province, including the Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association’s Newleef conference, where I was inspired by the young entrepreneurs discussing their green startups, including Josh Green of MYSA and Bennett Newhook of Greenspace,” she said. “I knew I wanted to be one of these young entrepreneurs changing the world one idea at a time, and that is what motivated me to pursue an entrepreneurial path.”
“As students, we often doubt our abilities and ideas, but the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship provides the training and support for us to see the bigger picture and grow our confidence and knowledge.”
Loujein Mouammer
Ms. Mouammer credits the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship with helping her grow her idea into a viable business. MeCharge, the company she co-founded, uses the energy created by a human user to allow low-powered electric devices, such as a computer mouse, to self-charge.
She says that students often doubt their abilities and ideas, but the centre provides training and support to help them see the bigger picture and grow their confidence and knowledge.
“At the centre, we are provided with the necessary space to foster and grow our ideas through training, mentorship, funding and consistent interactions with our peers and the entrepreneurial community. We are supported at every step and have a platform to discuss our options and, more importantly, how to quickly recover from our mistakes.”
Re-thinking ‘business as usual’
Another young entrepreneur, Trevor Bessette, is also passionate about changing the world. His startup, Seaside Apparel, is a clothing company with a social mission.
Trevor Bessette
“It wasn’t until university that I started to become more interested in waste management, sustainability and the impacts of things like fast fashion, plastic pollution and overconsumption,” said Mr. Bessette, a student in the Faculty of Business Administration.
As an ethical clothing company, Seaside Apparel makes decisions—what materials to use, the production process and the labour force—with the ethos of striving for a greener world.
Products are made entirely from recycled materials: reclaimed cotton scraps from sewing room floors and post-consumer plastic water bottles. The production process reduces greenhouse gas emissions by more than 25 per cent and water consumption by more than 55 per cent compared to a normal shirt. Seaside’s products are ethically manufactured in co-operative facilities in Haiti and Guatemala. A portion of every sale goes directly to cleanup initiatives in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Mr. Bessette credits the Centre for Social Enterprise with providing a supportive environment.
“It’s awesome to be able to surround yourself with others who are re-thinking the concept of ‘business as usual,’” he said. “So many wonderful people are invested in the success of my social enterprise endeavours.”
“If we really want to create strong, vibrant communities, we have to be creative and thoughtful in how we approach economic development and the role of business in society.”
Nicole Helwig
Nicole Helwig is the manager of the Centre for Social Enterprise. She helps build relationships with community groups, initiates student work placements in local social enterprises, participated in the development of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Social Enterprise Action Plan and has been involved in curricula innovation.
“Memorial is doing so much already in social enterprise and social innovation,” she said, pointing to student-run Enactus Memorial, recent winners of the Social Innovation Challenge and the new MBA program in social enterprise and entrepreneurship (MBA-SEE).
“We are living in very challenging times. If we really want to create strong, vibrant communities, we have to be creative and thoughtful in how we approach economic development and the role of business in society. Student enthusiasm for social justice and their ingenuity to drive positive social change reflects this, and the social enterprise model embraces that ideal.”
‘Really great, viable ideas’
Student enthusiasm is something that Michelle Simms, chief executive officer of Genesis, regularly experiences first-hand.
“What we’re seeing at Genesis is a real sense of excitement and positivity—and a lot of really great, viable ideas,” she said.
Genesis, widely recognized as Newfoundland and Labrador’s pre-eminent technology innovation hub, has been supporting startup companies in the province for more than 20 years. Since opening in 1997, Genesis companies have raised $98 million in private capital, generated $150 million in annual revenues and created more than 1,400 jobs.
About 40 per cent of entrepreneurs who participate in Evolution, Genesis’ pre-incubator program, are students at Memorial and the College of the North Atlantic (CNA). Funding from Emera will help support a student-only version of the popular program, ensuring even more students are able to participate.
“Through Evolution, we help students in the early stage of their startup by connecting them with mentors, helping them validate their ideas with potential customers and providing opportunities for them to connect with industry professionals, investors, public sector funders and other entrepreneurs,” said Ms. Simms.
The program’s impact can be seen in its participants’ success.
In March, the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship organized the 2019 Mel Woodward Cup, a business idea competition for student entrepreneurs. Three teams of student entrepreneurs each won $10,000 to further develop their business ideas.
All three winners are past participants of the Genesis Evolution program, as well as programs offered by the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship and the Centre for Social Enterprise.
The Mel Woodward Cup was created from a $1.13-million donation in 2017 by the family of the late business leader Dr. Mel Woodward. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency also provided support for the competition and other entrepreneurship-focused initiatives at MCE.
UnBound Chemicals, which has developed a process to extract active pharmaceutical ingredients from medications and re-market the chemicals for non-human use and research, was co-founded by bachelor of engineering student Abis Abbas.
PolyUnity creates and distributes high quality, validated 3D printed medical simulations and was co-founded by Michael Bartellas, a medical student at the Faculty of Medicine.
Duff: Ocean Resources is focused on battling the invasive green crab while commercializing chitin, the second most abundant polymer in the world, which has a variety of biomedical and biotechnology purposes including water purification, wound healing and antibacterial agents. The company was founded by Colton Etheridge, a bachelor of business administration student, and Joycelyn Moulton, a biochemistry student.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, a portion of the Emera funding will be used to build on the entrepreneurial success that has already been realized there. Both Grenfell Campus and College of the North Atlantic, in collaboration with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, will establish a new innovation centre in the heart of Corner Brook.
Generosity of donors
Florian Villaumé is the director of the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship. He says the funding from Emera, and other donors, is essential.
“These funds go a long way in helping us ramp up our programming, reach more students and generate excitement about entrepreneurship on campus,” he said. “In 2018-19, students came to us with 50 business ideas. In 2019-20 that number had grown to 127. We’re very encouraged and excited by the growth that’s apparent in the Memorial University entrepreneurial community.”
Using the Mel Woodward Cup as an example, Mr. Villaumé points out that in its first year, the competition received 25 entries. Just one year later, the number jumped to more than 40. The competition was held in the Emera Innovation Exchange on the Signal Hill Campus.
Since its official opening in the fall of 2018, the new campus has hosted hundreds of events, including about 60 workshops, 20 symposia, 20 conferences, eight consultation sessions, 30 seminars, 200-plus meetings and many other events, such as public forums, announcements, film screenings, training sessions and more.
‘Sharing knowledge and building connections’
As Jennifer Adams reflects on the busy first year of operations, she says it’s gratifying to see how well the campus has come together.
“In just one year, Signal Hill Campus has become entrenched in the community,” she said. “When people see what we are doing here—sharing knowledge and building connections—it really makes it clear that public engagement is an essential component of Memorial University.”
Dr. Rob Greenwood, associate vice-president, public engagement and external relations, helped develop the concept for the Signal Hill Campus. He sees it as “transformative.”
UnBound Chemicals, which has developed a process to extract active pharmaceutical ingredients from medications and re-market the chemicals for non-human use and research, was co-founded by bachelor of engineering student Abis Abbas.
PolyUnity creates and distributes high quality, validated 3D printed medical simulations and was co-founded by Michael Bartellas, a medical student at the Faculty of Medicine.
Duff: Ocean Resources is focused on battling the invasive green crab while commercializing chitin, the second most abundant polymer in the world, which has a variety of biomedical and biotechnology purposes including water purification, wound healing and antibacterial agents. The company was founded by Colton Etheridge, a bachelor of business administration student, and Joycelyn Moulton, a biochemistry student.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, a portion of the Emera funding will be used to build on the entrepreneurial success that has already been realized there. Both Grenfell Campus and College of the North Atlantic, in collaboration with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, will establish a new innovation centre in the heart of Corner Brook.
Generosity of donors
Florian Villaumé is the director of the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship. He says the funding from Emera, and other donors, is essential.
“These funds go a long way in helping us ramp up our programming, reach more students and generate excitement about entrepreneurship on campus,” he said. “In 2018-19, students came to us with 50 business ideas. In 2019-20 that number had grown to 127. We’re very encouraged and excited by the growth that’s apparent in the Memorial University entrepreneurial community.”
Using the Mel Woodward Cup as an example, Mr. Villaumé points out that in its first year, the competition received 25 entries. Just one year later, the number jumped to more than 40. The competition was held in the Emera Innovation Exchange on the Signal Hill Campus.
Since its official opening in the fall of 2018, the new campus has hosted hundreds of events, including about 60 workshops, 20 symposia, 20 conferences, eight consultation sessions, 30 seminars, 200-plus meetings and many other events, such as public forums, announcements, film screenings, training sessions and more.
‘Sharing knowledge and building connections’
As Jennifer Adams reflects on the busy first year of operations, she says it’s gratifying to see how well the campus has come together.
“In just one year, Signal Hill Campus has become entrenched in the community,” she said. “When people see what we are doing here—sharing knowledge and building connections—it really makes it clear that public engagement is an essential component of Memorial University.”
Dr. Rob Greenwood, associate vice-president, public engagement and external relations, helped develop the concept for the Signal Hill Campus. He sees it as “transformative.”
Dr. Rob Greenwood
“Memorial’s entire history has been rooted in our connection to this province and the collaboration between the university and the public. Signal Hill Campus embodies that history of partnership and innovation.”
Along with the larger vision for the campus, the new site helped solve some of Memorial’s practical challenges. A number of units leasing space off campus moved into space freed up by the units that moved to Signal Hill. The increased space for public engagement activities at Signal Hill has created new opportunities to build relationships, and graduate students have more housing options.
‘Fiscally prudent’
It all grew from an innovative funding model.
Memorial purchased the facility in 2012 with approval from both the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the university’s Board of Regents. A key guiding principle for the purchase was that the redevelopment project would have no impact on the university’s operating budget.
Most of the money for the initial purchase came from Memorial’s endowment funds. These funds are managed to return yields to the university through investment. In this case, Memorial elected to invest $8.5 million of these funds into Signal Hill Campus. The long-term plan was to repay the endowment fund through revenues generated at Signal Hill Campus as well as from the cost savings achieved by moving units leasing space off-campus back to the St. John’s campus. An early donation of $1 million helped leverage additional funding.
The project was supported by the Government of Canada, through both the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund).
This support enabled Memorial to leverage other investment opportunities from private donors, like Emera.
The $7-million contribution from Emera was immediately invested, which will allow Memorial to repay the endowment fund in 12 years instead of 30. As a result, and in keeping with Emera’s intention of directly supporting student entrepreneurship and innovation activities, a portion of the revenue from Signal Hill Campus can now be directed toward those activities.
“In addition to Memorial’s vision and aspiration for a world-class venue to enable and support public engagement and innovation, the decision to purchase the facility was based on a pragmatic, fiscally prudent business case that enabled us to address a number of key objectives identified in our campus strategic infrastructure plan,” President Gary Kachanoski said.
“Signal Hill Campus provides an exciting and iconic location for the university and community to connect and work collaboratively on a number of the province’s priorities and opportunities, including promoting and supporting innovation, entrepreneurship and development for a more sustainable future for generations to come.”
“Memorial’s entire history has been rooted in our connection to this province and the collaboration between the university and the public. Signal Hill Campus embodies that history of partnership and innovation.”
Along with the larger vision for the campus, the new site helped solve some of Memorial’s practical challenges. A number of units leasing space off campus moved into space freed up by the units that moved to Signal Hill. The increased space for public engagement activities at Signal Hill has created new opportunities to build relationships, and graduate students have more housing options.
‘Fiscally prudent’
It all grew from an innovative funding model.
Memorial purchased the facility in 2012 with approval from both the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the university’s Board of Regents. A key guiding principle for the purchase was that the redevelopment project would have no impact on the university’s operating budget.
Most of the money for the initial purchase came from Memorial’s endowment funds. These funds are managed to return yields to the university through investment. In this case, Memorial elected to invest $8.5 million of these funds into Signal Hill Campus. The long-term plan was to repay the endowment fund through revenues generated at Signal Hill Campus as well as from the cost savings achieved by moving units leasing space off-campus back to the St. John’s campus. An early donation of $1 million helped leverage additional funding.
The project was supported by the Government of Canada, through both the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund).
This support enabled Memorial to leverage other investment opportunities from private donors, like Emera.
The $7-million contribution from Emera was immediately invested, which will allow Memorial to repay the endowment fund in 12 years instead of 30. As a result, and in keeping with Emera’s intention of directly supporting student entrepreneurship and innovation activities, a portion of the revenue from Signal Hill Campus is directed toward those activities.
“In addition to Memorial’s vision and aspiration for a world-class venue to enable and support public engagement and innovation, the decision to purchase the facility was based on a pragmatic, fiscally prudent business case that enabled us to address a number of key objectives identified in our campus strategic infrastructure plan,” President Gary Kachanoski said.
“Signal Hill Campus provides an exciting and iconic location for the university and community to connect and work collaboratively on a number of the province’s priorities and opportunities, including promoting and supporting innovation, entrepreneurship and development for a more sustainable future for generations to come.”
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY | Newfoundland and Labrador's University | OFFICE of THE PRESIDENT | president@mun.ca | 709 864 8212
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND | Newfoundland and Labrador's University | OFFICE of THE PRESIDENT | president@mun.ca | 709 864 8212
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND | Newfoundland and Labrador's University | OFFICE of THE PRESIDENT | president@mun.ca | 709 864 8212
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND | Newfoundland and Labrador's University
| OFFICE of THE PRESIDENT | president@mun.ca | 709 864 8212
OFFICE of THE PRESIDENT | president@mun.ca | 709 864 8212 |
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY of NEWFOUNDLAND