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 Center (formerly the Centre for Business Analytics and Performance), which now operates within the Kanata North Campus instead of at uOttawa’s main campus downtown Ottawa.
“There are a lot of projects where the company is just trying to explore something a little bit new,” explains Gregory Richards, 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.”
“So our students can go in and do some work, and it doesn’t cost the companies a lot – it’s a win-win for everybody.”
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 space for the Kanata North Campus will significantly benefit both students and partner companies. With the L-SPARK accelerator, RBCx financial quarter, the KNBA and Hub350 all in the same building, and companies such as Wesley Clover, Edge Signal, thinkRF, Solink, and Marvell just down a corridor, students will be significantly closer to the companies they work with and other technology industry players and events.
For local companies the benefits are threefold: The de-risking of exploratory research mentioned earlier, along with 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 internships placements in 2024 alone
- A growing number of industry-focused events and networking programs
- Experiential learning opportunities and student internships through programs such as CO-OP.
“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.”
