Dalhousie University opens new innovation 'sandbox'

Dalhousie University has officially opened a new student-focused innovation ‘sandbox,’ called SURGE, on campus, to foster talent development, entrepreneurship, commercialization and economic growth in the region. SURGE, short for Science Unleashed: Research Growing the Economy, is Dalhousie’s fourth sandbox and joins nine other innovation sandboxes in Nova Scotia. The provincial Department of Labour and Advanced Education contributed $1.05 million to SURGE. Each year, SURGE will offer a range of courses, workshops and events for undergrads and graduate students, as well as faculty members and industry partners. The Nova Scotia Innovation Sandbox project helps the province build capacity for innovation and foster a spirit of entrepreneurship among the next generation, said Ben Jessome, ministerial assistant for youth, on behalf of Labour and Advanced Education Minister Labi Kousoulis. Sandboxes are collaborative spaces that bring together multidisciplinary teams to develop ideas and innovation solutions to important local and global problems.