George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Applied Research: The Innovation Exchange and the Design Centre for the Smart Economy
The future School of Design building will include the Innovation Exchange and Design Centre for the Smart Economy, a research hub where students and businesses will team up and bring new ideas to market.
This is supported by a 5-year, multi-million dollar grant from the NSERC Innovation Enhancement and Canada Foundation for Innovation programs. This funding will make it possible for Canadian companies to work with faculty and students to solve industry challenges through applied research, and to adopt new approaches to designing and developing customer experiences, digital service design ecosystems, computing platforms and alternative user interfaces that are shaped by technology. Faculty and students in the Honours Bachelor of Digital Experience Design will play an integral role in pushing this research agenda.
The School of Design has a strong track record of applied research projects. This includes a three-year SSHRC grant from the Community and College Social Innovation Fund to partner with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health on an interactive app co-designed by students and youth who deal with crisis in the Region of Peel.
By being involved in research projects, GBC students develop skills in service and product development and design, laboratory experimentation, field research, project management, communications, ethics, entrepreneurship, leadership and teamwork.