The Dunin-Deshpande Innovation Centre is honoured to be the 2024 recipient of the Principal’s Globally Engaged Innovation Award for our Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship. The Fellowship delivers programs to African universities to turn their ideas and technologies into an entrepreneurial venture, creating new job possibilities for young African entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs later become mentors for other Queen’s University Fellows, contributing to enduring change in their families and communities. The Globally Engaged Innovation Award recognizes innovative international teaching and learning. The Award considers innovation in program development, global engagement in learning outcomes, impact on student learning, and alignment with the university’s goals and objectives. The Jim Leech Fellowship launched in 2020 with 1500 applicants and 12 partner universities. The program has now expanded to include over 60 universities across the continent, with over 5000 applicants per year, and 1,000 participants in the first phase of the program. The program offers a validated curriculum, maximizes accessibility, and gives valuable resources to participants in the form of stipend payments, mentorship, seed funding and networking opportunities to launch their own ventures.
Learn more about this year's Teaching and Learning Awards in the Queen's Gazette article here.