Dalhousie University will launch an advanced engineering accelerator called IdeaHub at its campus in Halifax, Canada, in 2018, which will be supported by a C$10m ($7m) investment from energy provider Emera.
IdeaHub’s founding partners also include seafood provider Clearwater Seafoods, diversified holding company Micco Companies, academic institutions Acadia University and NSCAD University, Build Ventures, Innovacorp, and Volta Labs.
Clearwater Seafoods co-founders John Risley and Colin MacDonald joined MacDonald’s brother and fellow entrepreneur Mickey MacDonald in committing C$2.5 million to the project. Dalhousie is continuing to raise funds for the project, drawing on the support of alumni, donors and industry partners.
IdeaHub aims to promote entrepreneurship in the Atlantic Canada region and support innovative companies in the region through partnerships, collaboration and an accelerator space.
The space will form part of the Idea Project, a C$64 million investment in Dalhousie’s campus that includes a C$32 million contribution from the Government of Canada.
Recent graduates and entrepreneurs with a successful track record will mentor and support Dalhousie students and startups participating in ideaHub as they work to commercialise their technology-based products.
– Photo of the Sexton campus in downtown Halifax, home to the Faculty of Engineering, courtesy of Dalhousie University. The original version of this article appeared on our sister site, Global University Venturing.