McMaster University and Mohawk College are two of Hamilton’s institutions that are getting praise from a judge connected to the Intelligent Communities Forum.
Robert Bell is in the city as the U.S.-based think-tank looks for the winner of this year’s most intelligent community in the world.
Hamilton is already in the top seven on the list.
Bell says he’s never seen an institution like Mohawk College.
“Because they’re so closely associated with business and with government and hospitals, they have their finger on what’s going to be in demand next” he said.
LISTEN: Robert Bell joins The Bill Kelly Show
Calling collaboration the “new competitive advantage”, Bell also points to what he calls “world-class connections among your community college and your university.”
He says Mohawk’s collaboration with McMaster is unique among post secondary institutions around the world.
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He says the collaboration extends to the city’s hospitals, government and business community and “is actually the engine underneath the transformation that everyone is so proud of here in Hamilton.”
According to the forum’s website the chosen cities represent “models of economic and social transformation in the 21st Century.”
“They are not the most advanced technology centers, the most wired cities or the fastest growing economies in the world. Instead, each exemplifies best practices in broadband deployment and use, workforce development, innovation, digital inclusion and advocacy that offer lessons to regions, cities, towns and villages around the world. They are charting new paths to lasting prosperity for their citizens, businesses and institutions. ”
One other Canadian city, Winnipeg, also made this year’s shortlist. The other finalists are Ipswitch; Australia, Espoo; Finland, and three cities in Taiwan — Chiayi City, Tainan City and Taoyuan.
The forum will announce its winner this summer.
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