This article was originally published by the Ottawa Business Journal.
When the University of Ottawa first opened its Kanata North campus in the heart of Canada’s largest tech park, the goal was clear: to bring researchers, students, and industry closer together to drive impact in the region and beyond. That vision is now accelerating with the university’s move to an even larger space at 350 Legget Drive, where uOttawa is doubling down on its role as a local anchor institution for innovation and talent.
“The expansion of our Kanata North campus reflects uOttawa’s deep commitment to supporting innovation where it happens — in place, with industry,” says Dr. Muralee Murugesu, associate vice-president, innovation, partnerships, and entrepreneurship at the University of Ottawa. “As research intensity at our institution grows, so does our responsibility to serve as a local anchor in the country’s largest tech park — providing companies, researchers, and students with the proximity, resources, and collaborative environment they need to co-create the future together.”
Accelerating research in the city’s west end
uOttawa’s move into a new, expanded space at 350 Legget Dr. is more than a real estate upgrade — it’s a response to the growing demand for applied research, talent, and proximity in Canada’s largest tech park.
The new campus will provide more local support, host more researchers and students, and strengthen industry partnerships. It supports uOttawa’s growing research profile — now ranked fourth in Canada for research intensity — and builds on a track record of university-wide large-scale innovation initiatives, such as the uOttawa-IBM Cyber Range, quantum-focused research and training programs, and the recently launched uOttawa-led Brain-Heart Interconnectome research program
Telfer joins the Kanata North campus
A key new addition to the space is the Telfer School of Management’s Digital Enterprise Centre (formerly the Centre for Business Analytics and Performance), which now operates within the Kanata North campus instead of at uOttawa’s main campus in downtown Ottawa.
"There are a lot of projects where the company is just trying to explore something a little bit new," explains Gregory Richards, the interim director of the Telfer School's EMBA Program and vice-dean of graduate professional programs. "And the research we do de-risks it a little bit, because they could spend an awful lot of time and money on something that's so new and may not actually work."
The Centre offers a “sandbox” environment for companies to test digital strategies alongside academic experts — a model that helps companies move faster and smarter.
We're trying to fit better with the pace and the rhythm of companies who might need something done within a couple of months," Richards explains. "Startups move at light speed, and so do early-scale SMEs looking to scale up."
Benefits for students and companies
The new Kanata North campus space offers major advantages for both students and partner companies. Located in the same building as the L-SPARK accelerator, RBCx financial quarter, the KNBA, and Hub350 — and just steps away from companies like Wesley Clover, Edge Signal, thinkRF, Solink, and Marvell — students will be immersed in the heart of the tech ecosystem. This proximity brings them closer to the companies they collaborate with, as well as to key players, events, and opportunities in the technology industry.
For local companies, the benefits are threefold: reduced risk when conducting exploratory research, access to top-tier student talent and professors with deep knowledge and connections in their field.
A successful track record of collaboration
The Kanata North campus builds on uOttawa’s growing reputation for applied, cross-disciplinary research. It is facilitating and supporting:
- Over 45 active collaborative research projects with industry
- Over 140 research internship placements in 2024 alone
- Experiential learning opportunities and student internships through programs such as CO-OP
- A growing number of industry-focused events and networking programs
“Businesses don’t operate on a single discipline — they’re multi-functional by nature,” says Richards. “All those functions need to connect if we’re going to truly understand how companies are going to operate 5 to 10 years from now.”
That forward-thinking approach recently took a tangible step forward when the University of Ottawa officially opened its new space, hosting an event that brought together partners and showcased what’s possible when research and industry converge.
Post-event highlights: Grand opening at 350 Legget
The celebration brought together more than 80 attendees, including University of Ottawa President and Vice-Chancellor Jacques Frémont, Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn, Member of Parliament Jenna Sudds, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, City Councillor Cathy Curry, and Vice-President, Research and Innovation Julie St-Pierre. They were joined by senior university leaders, researchers, students, industry partners, and representatives from across the local tech community.
The event also marked the official launch of SITE-CAV (Secure, Intelligent, and Trustworthy Ecosystem for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles), a major provincially-funded research initiative led by Faculty of Engineering professor Burak Kantarci and housed within the Smart Connected Vehicle Innovation Centre located at the uOttawa Kanata North campus.
The energy and enthusiasm throughout the day reflected the growing momentum behind uOttawa’s expanding presence in Kanata North — a unique environment that fosters cutting-edge research and innovation while offering direct access to the talent pipeline essential to Canada’s largest tech park.