At the Canada-in-Asia Conference 2025 in Singapore, McGill’s Vice-President of Global Engagement, Professor Anja Geitmann, moderated a high-level panel exploring how universities fuel innovation and foster entrepreneurship through strategic initiatives, incubators, and global partnerships.
Entitled Fostering Entrepreneurship: Universities’ Role in Start-Up and Scale-Up Ecosystems, the session brought together academic leaders from Canada and Asia to examine how higher education institutions can empower the next generation of entrepreneurs. In her opening remarks, Prof. Geitmann emphasized how universities have evolved into “vibrant hubs of innovation,” uniquely positioned to transform research into real-world solutions.
McGill is a case in point. Through the Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, which has supported over 530 startups and helped raise $4.1 billion in funding, and the McGill Engine, which focuses on technology commercialization and has engaged in more than 1,400 industry collaborations, the University plays a central role in shaping Canada’s innovation economy. Initiatives like these not only cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among students but also provide critical mentorship and access to funding.
International collaboration, Geitmann stressed, is essential. “Leveraging global partnerships allows us to strengthen innovation ecosystems, giving start-ups access to diverse markets, expertise, and networks that accelerate their growth and impact.”
The session highlighted successful ventures like Anomera, CarbiCrete, and Sportlogiq, companies born from academic research at McGill and now creating meaningful economic and environmental impact.
In parallel with her participation in the panel, Vice-President Geitmann also held strategic meetings with institutional partners and innovation leaders from across the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen McGill’s international collaborations and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
McGill’s continued engagement on the global stage underscores its commitment to translating academic excellence into entrepreneurial success and to connecting innovation ecosystems across borders for the benefit of all.
