Kingston City Council voted in favour of an agreement that will see Queen’s University and the City of Kingston work together to support innovation, economic development and the retention of more young people in the community.

Under the approved Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), brought forward by Principal Daniel Woolf and Mayor Bryan Paterson, Queen’s and the city will collaborate and pool resources in pursuit of a shared innovation agenda.

“Both the City of Kingston and Queen’s have a vested interest in enabling Kingston to attract businesses, investors, highly-skilled job-seekers, entrepreneurs and innovators, students and a diverse work force,” Principal Woolf said during Tuesday night’s council meeting at City Hall. “Together, we will take action and encourage dialogue, partnerships and economic development initiatives that build an innovative and prosperous city.”

Innovation is a focus at Queen’s with the aim of fostering economic development through education, research, and commercialization. Creating a strategic partnership between the City of Kingston and the university will help move the vision forward, Principal Woolf says.

In support of this Queen’s has developed a number of innovation and collaboration initiatives, including the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre, SparQ Studios, the Queen’s Startup Summit, as well as the Innovation and Wellness Centre, which is currently under construction.