Ryerson University, one of MaRS Innovation’s 16 member institutions, has created the Digital Media Zone (DMZ) to give student entrepreneurs and researchers — or anyone connected with a great idea connected to their campus — the space they need to grow their ideas.
Dr. Hossein Rahnama, the DMZ’s research director and a Ryerson University professor, was interviewed this week by The Accelerator Gazette about Ryerson’s approach to accelerating and incubating technologies.
TORONTO (May 22, 2012) — Flybits CEO and Founder Hossein Rahnama was among the entrepreneurs of Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone (DMZ) to meet the Prince of Wales and demonstrate his cloud-based and context-aware software solution.
Flybits CEO Hossein Rahnama (left) demonstrates his mobile technology for His Royal Highness Prince Charles and Premier Dalton McGuinty (right)
Flybits Inc., a Mars Innovation spin-off company from Ryerson University where Rahanama is a professor and research director of the DMZ, has developed an innovative, context-aware software as a service framework called FARE (Flybits Activity Recognition Engine).
It allows mobile application developers to rapidly build intelligent mobile applications that address the needs of multiple vertical markets without excessive infrastructure requirements.
MaRS Innovation to act as commercialization agent for York’s life sciences and technology discoveries, leveraging new potential for York’s existing $70 million in research initiatives
TORONTO, May 9, 2011 – York University has become the latest member of MaRS Innovation, the commercialization agent for many leading Toronto-based universities, hospitals and research institutes.
Stan Shapson, Vice-President Research & Innovation, York University
“York has become one of Canada’s fastest-growing centres for research and innovation,” said Stan Shapson, vice-president Research & Innovation at York University. “We typically get 10 to 20 discovery disclosures a year. Joining MaRS Innovation allows us to deliver the most competitive commercialization services to the researchers making these discoveries. We’re confident that membership in MaRS Innovation will boost that number and accelerate the commercialization of York’s most promising research.”
Earlier this year, York University launched its Innovation York office. Based in York Region, Innovation York works with other partner organizations in the Markham Convergence Centre to build upon research partnerships between York researchers and life science and technology companies based in York Region and the Greater Toronto Area. It’s also making York’s research and infrastructure more accessible to industry, government agencies and community partners.
