Trent Research and Innovation Park master plan given preliminary approval

Trent University and the City of Peterborough are partnering to build an 85-acre research and innovation park that will be built on the East Bank of the campus, adjacent to the DNA building.

The research park will contribute to cutting-edge environmental and technological research while working with biomaterials, sustainable agriculture, environmental and water sciences.

It should benefit the community and Trent University while creating job opportunities for co-op placements and employment for Trent students and graduates, while offering the chance for startup companies to thrive.

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Representatives from Trent and partners with the city’s planning staff delivered the details of the master plan at council on Monday; the planning committee gave the first approval of the plans.

Trent University president Leo Groarke says this is a partnership with the community that needs to be celebrated and not taken for granted.

“There are 26 research parks in Canada at the moment and they generate $4.3 billion in GDP and that they create 65,000,” says Groarke. “I think it’s significant that those are jobs that are at all levels, from jobs at advanced levels but also at entry levels for all different kinds of occupations.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "There are 26 research parks in Canada at the moment and they generate $4.3 billion in GDP and that they create 65,000," says Groarke. "I think it's significant that those are jobs that are at all levels, from jobs at advanced levels but also at entry levels for all different kinds of occupations."

Groake says the research park will not only create more jobs and attract new businesses but also help recruit students to the university and lead to new green technologies and industry.

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“We see the research park as something that is going to invigorate the education at Trent by making experiential learning possible,” says Groarke. “We think the research park will also advance green technologies in a way that helps build the reputation of this region.”

City Hall will give its final approval for the project sometime in September and construction could begin in spring of 2018.