RBC is donating $1 million to support the Dr. J. Herbert Smith Centre for Technology Management and Entrepreneurship (TME) at the University of New Brunswick, according to a report from Entrevestor.
“RBC has a long and distinguished history of supporting innovation at UNB, and I am honoured to accept this gift,” UNB President Eddy Campbell said at a reception in Fredericton. “UNB has been rated best in the nation for teaching entrepreneurship. This investment will build on the success of our programs and create new opportunities for our students to turn their ideas into products and services.”
TotalPave and Castaway Golf, the past two winners of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation’s Breakthru competition, have come out of the TME program. The funding will support the following activities:
- RBC idea, student pitch and product design competitions
- An RBC Lunch and Learn guest lecture series that brings business people with national and international experience into our classrooms
- An RBC Technology Commercialization Program Fund, to help students move from the idea stage to working models of their products
- An RBC Export Marketing Fund that will enable the proponents of well-developed start-up businesses to explore new markets outside of New Brunswick
- An RBC Mentor-in-Residence program with national-class mentors
- An annual leadership conference, focusing on business leadership in an era of global change
- The creation of the RBC Innovative Action Room, a new space for meetings, consultations and mentorship events