Centennial Innovates | Applied Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Centennial Innovates is the Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship department at Centennial College. We bring students and faculty together to solve practical industry problems, providing real-world experience in the process. Our focus is on providing solutions that are both practical and cost effective. We also work to support a consistent college-wide approach to the research enterprise, through the Centennial Applied Research and Innovation Fund (ARIF) for faculty-led projects, research and training workshops held throughout the year, the activities of both the Centennial College Research Board (CCRB) and the college’s Research Ethics Board (REB). We seek to empower our students to become changemakers by exposing them to research and entrepreneurship opportunities through paid internships and experiential learning opportunities. Our Priorities: With our new research initiatives, we strengthen our commitment to addressing the changing world of work. Our research seeks to recognize the issues facing our community, and to champion issues faced by marginalized groups – pushing the limits of what a college can do. We map all of our activities to the global canvass of sustainability as defined by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our entrepreneurship activities focus on both social entrepreneurship and traditional entrepreneurship offerings, and are also mapped against the UN SDG framework. We also support established business ventures through our business innovation and growth program. Our Applied Research activities focus on real world solutions for industry partners and our community. Our impact is directed on then embedding research project outcomes into curricula, to provide students with the most up-to-date skills needed to excel in their careers.