Redeemer’s new Innovation Centre will launch this fall with the purpose of inspiring and infusing a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship across all programs and pathways of Redeemer University.

“The new Centre will provide opportunities for students across all disciplines to explore, experiment and design,” says Harold DeVries, director of the Innovation Centre. “We’re excited to provide concrete ways to integrate design thinking into current and future programs at Redeemer. It will be a space for applied creativity and learning with active, real-world opportunities for students and support to help faculty integrate innovation into their classroom experiences.”

Located on the lower level of the Charis Live and Learn Centre, a makerspace, will launch in late September. It will be open to the entire campus community and offer state of the art tools such as a video and sound studio, editing suites, app development software, 3D printers and scanners and a Cricut machine, robotics and more. Along with the tools will come guidance to learn how to produce innovative solutions and prototypes.

The new Centre will provide opportunities for students across all disciplines to explore, experiment and design.

A grand opening celebration is planned in the winter term to coincide with the completion of office space renovations. During the first year, the centre plans to develop its collaboration spaces and roll out initial programming. 

Included in this programming are workshops on innovation and entrepreneurship as well as a how-to series, which will give participants an introduction to the tools in the makerspace. Centre staff will develop an undergraduate course in innovative design thinking to begin in fall 2023, while coaching services will support students and faculty as they explore new ideas and pedagogies that encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in the classroom. Students and faculty will be invited to participate in a variety of events with engaging speakers and have opportunities to learn about the principles of redemptive entrepreneurship.

An additional goal of the centre is the development of a student-led agency providing video and other creative services to internal and external clients. Another potential student-led agency could include agri/soil testing services.

“This Learn. Forward. initiative builds on the strengths of Redeemer’s liberal arts and science education,” says Dr. Kyle Spyksma, interim vice president, academic. “The Innovation Centre will help prepare students to be innovative, collaborative, problem-solving critical thinkers, enabling them to follow their callings into the future, ready to fill the opportunities of the marketplace and meet the needs of an ever-changing society.”