CISCO TelePresence unit on UWinnipeg campus
WINNIPEG, MB – A new commercialization incubator now exists at The University of Winnipeg to allow for a more entrepreneurial approach to using campus resources. Last night the Board of Regents approved creation and governance of UWIN Inc. a wholly owned for-profit subsidiary of the University of Winnipeg. This will allow UWinnipeg to pursue commercial enterprises to generate revenue from third parties that may wish to use, for example, the CISCO Telepresence systems on campus. It will also allow for undertakings related to the commercialization of research such as the very promising medical isotope production.
One of the factors driving the strong interest in strengthening commercialization capacity is the recognition that the University’s portion of income from those commercial ventures would provide a third stream of revenue, in addition to tuition fees and government grants, to assure the University’s long-term financial viability.
“Adopting an entrepreneurial and flexible approach to the resources and talent on campus allows us to use the means at our disposal in the most effective manner possible,” said Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President and Vice-Chancellor, UWinnipeg. “It will also spur new innovations and allow our faculty and students to engage in relevant, cutting edge research that has direct application in the real world. We know that increasingly students want to tackle the big issues of our time such as climate change, or cancer treatment, in a way that gets results.”
UWin Inc. will be guided by a nine-member Board of Directors, chaired by the President and Vice-Chancellor, including five members of UWinnipeg’s Board of Regents and four outside directors. All members will be appointed by the Board of Regents, and UWin Inc. will be managed by The University of Winnipeg Community Renewal Corporation.
The activities of UWin Inc. will be reported regularly by the President and Vice-Chancellor to the Board of Regents.
– 30 –
MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135, E: d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
