By AJ McDowell
Simon Fraser University (SFU) has joined Ryerson University to develop and expand an incubator for student startups at the Bombay Stock Exchange Institute (BSEI) in Mumbai, India. The partnership between Ryerson’s Digital Media Zone (DMZ) and the BSEI was established in July 2013 but the letter of intent to collaborate between the three institutions was signed this past week in India.
SFU president Andrew Petter and SFU vice-president of research Mario Pinto signed the agreement as part of their weeklong trip to India to increase their .
Mohamed Lachemi, provost and vice-president academic at Ryerson, says that SFU’s involvement will continue to give young Canadian and Indian entrepreneurs opportunities.
“We are bringing a successful model to India, and with this collaboration … we can provide even more resources to fast track innovative research and help train and develop the next generation of entrepreneurs,” Lachemi said in a news release.
The DMZ and its B.C. counterpart SF Univentures help students looking to create their own businesses, providing access to both national and international markets, resources, and networks. The partnership improves existing resources and provides a highway between the schools to fast track the ideas of young innovators. The goal is to bring the success of the DMZ to India and to include support for Indian and Canadian students.
The addition of Simon Fraser University to the partnership means an increase of resources for both schools and more co-op and internship positions for students looking to gain work experience.
“Supporting student entrepreneurship is an important part of our commitment to being Canada’s ‘engaged university’,” Petter said in a news release. ”This partnership will help us extend that commitment.”
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