TORONTO/WATERLOO – Cisco, in partnership with the University of Waterloo, today celebrated the opening of the Cisco Incubation Centre that’s designed to nurture Canada’s next generation of entrepreneurs. The ceremony also marked the announcement of a Cisco Research Chair in Smart Grid at the University.
The Cisco Incubation Centre, located in the University of Waterloo’s David Johnston Research + Technology Park, will primarily focus on providing local start-ups and students with the opportunity to take advantage of Cisco’s collaboration technology, expertise and global partner ecosystem. Researchers and entrepreneurs will have valuable access to the diverse Cisco technology portfolio, including collaboration tools such as Cisco TelePresence, enabling collaboration with university technology research parks and innovation centres across Canada and around the world.
Cisco says it is expanding its relationships with universities across Canada in order to foster research to increase Canadian innovation, productivity and global competitiveness. The company’s university network currently includes resources at Vancouver Island Technology Park, the University of Winnipeg, and the University of New Brunswick, with more to follow.
“Cisco Canada’s presence in the David Johnston Research + Technology Park provides our university community with a terrific resource. Enterprising students and entrepreneurs will have access to knowledge, expertise and tools that will be a tremendous asset as they endeavour to conduct research or build a global network to launch new initiatives. The Incubation Centre adds a new level to the relationship between Cisco, the university and Waterloo and demonstrates our mutual commitment to foster Canada’s next generation of innovators,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor, University of Waterloo.
Leveraging the CANARIE Network, Cisco aims to empower researchers and students throughout Canada with the necessary tools to improve ongoing research collaboration and foster more open innovation to accelerate the adoption of transformational solutions.
Cisco is also providing $1 million over the next five years to establish the Cisco Chair in Smart Grid. The chair will focus research on the full integration of information science and technology concepts for power grid in order to enhance its security, reliability and effective performance of key components such as storage and renewable resources. The research will help define the next generation electricity grid, or ‘future grid,' in terms of concepts, techniques and technologies and their capabilities to drive collaboration, productivity and efficiency in the energy sector in Canada.
