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Northern College and its partners unveiled its new 24,000 sq. ft. I-wing of the Timmins campus on Friday, producing an immersive experiential learning, entrepreneurial, research and commercialization space called the Northern College Innovation Hub.

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More than $2 million has been invested in the Innovation Hub at Northern College’s Timmins Campus.

Community partners in this project include Agnico Eagle Mines, IAMGOLD, Orica, Levert, ACCES, plus public contributors including FedNor, Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ministry of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade.

“Northern College plays an important role in supporting businesses in the Timmins-James Bay region to innovate, grow and succeed. At FedNor, and across the federal government, we are committed to working with industry and academic institutions across Northern Ontario to encourage applied research and development projects, which in turn support business growth and competitiveness,” said Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for FedNor. “Today’s celebration is a tribute to your hard work, business expertise, and your drive. You are modelling success and building Canada’s network of innovators.”

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The Innovation Hub is a mining-centric hub and one of the largest innovation spaces in the province. Aiming to train highly qualified talent and produce business improvement solutions. Donations from mining leaders like Agnico Eagle enabled the new state-of-the-art shops to be developed.

“This new Innovation Hub creates opportunities for businesses like ours, students, faculty and other partners to push new technologies and solutions to industry challenges forward, from research into testing and potential development, right here in Northern Ontario,” said Andre Leite, vice-president of Ontario operations for Agnico Eagle Mines. “Our ongoing support and partnership with Northern College is part of our commitment to contribute positively to the communities and countries where we live and work.”

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The Innovation Hub will feature a wide array of high-tech spaces, including trades-related labs, larger shops, and tech-enhanced classrooms. A manufacturing lab, prototyping lab, welding shop, virtual reality lab, alternate energy lab, and mining exploration lab, along with several classrooms is all part of the new design to cater to growing industry needs.

“As a college, Northern has the applied learning environment and technical expertise to bring ideas to life,” said Audrey Penner, president and CEO of Northern College. “When the industry has a problem, we want to be there to help them solve it. This space will help us do exactly that.”

The aim is for this new space will enhance the economic development of the region and help attract the best and brightest talent to the city.