Ron Soskolne Joins Mcmaster Innovation Park Development Advisory Panel
January 27, 2021 10:30 ET
HAMILTON, ON, Jan. 27, 2021 /CNW/ - McMaster Innovation Park (MIP) announced today that Ron Soskolne has joined MIP's Park Development Advisory Panel as Chief Park Development Advisor.
MIP is planning massive expansion whereby the park will expand from 700 thousand sq. ft. to 2.8 million sq. ft., with a focus on Life Sciences. The plan is to develop a 'Life Science MegaHub' that will constitute the west end of a life science corridor spanning from Hamilton to Toronto.
Ron Soskolne comes to MIP at a critical period when Canada ranks second globally in its ability to translate academic output to intellectual property, but ranks only fifth in commercialization of that IP, and in last place in respect to its record of scaling our IP up to commercial levels.
Ty Shattuck, the CEO of MIP commented "Today, entrepreneurs, leading global companies and investors in the life sciences increasingly see the Toronto-GTA-Hamilton area as a global-calibre life sciences corridor. MIP plays an important and growing role accelerating the development of our life sciences economy and infrastructure. Ron's unique expertise is helping us to evolve MIP's campus to become a global calibre destination for life sciences innovators, and a catalyst for the elevation of promising IP, ultimately for deployment on a commercial scale."
He added, "It has become abundantly clear that it is in Canada's interests to advance the commercialization of life sciences in Canada with specialized facilities where companies can manufacture at scale and bring together research, innovation, and capital to produce therapies and cures serving our domestic and global markets. For the last two years, this has been MIP's primary mission. We see life sciences as analogous to a renewable resource for Canada, where even one discovery is capable of creating sustained long term economic value, while addressing global needs."
Ty Shattuck added "We are delighted that Ron has agreed to join MIP's Development Advisory Panel as Chief Development Advisor. Together, we have the opportunity to think at a global level about what shapes an effective innovation ecosystem and helps to create an economic engine for Canada at a time when the importance of life sciences has never been more front-and-centre. Ron understands that in an innovation context, connections are critically important. Our strategy is to build a physical and social environment that promotes creative collisions and collaborations which advance the business aspirations of our tenant companies."
Within the global real estate industry, Mr. Soskolne is the reference for directing the planning of vibrant and iconic urban destinations. His firm, Soskolne Associates, is a real-estate development consultancy that specializes in large-scale mixed-use developments and public/private projects. The firm's advisory mandates have spanned Canary Wharf in London, Yonge & Dundas Square and the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, Downtown Disneyland in Anaheim, and the World Financial Centre in New York City. Many of these were "regeneration" projects – new uses for former industrial sites and tired urban areas.
Mr. Soskolne commented, "I am very excited about MIP's thinking about how placemaking relates to and can influence the inherently complex process of innovation, and by the potential that that idea holds. This resonated for me based on my own experience." He added, "I was intrigued and excited about how MIP is envisioning the development aspects of MIP's growth, and how MIP sees the innovation park as much more than just a collection of buildings."
Soskolne is known for developing complexes of buildings that become destinations and gathering places in their own right. He specializes in master planning large scale urban regeneration projects and mixed-use developments –often including major public spaces.
About MIP
McMaster Innovation Park (MIP) is Canada's premier research park based in the heart of southwestern Ontario and home to over one hundred companies in the Life Science, Engineering & Advanced Manufacturing and high-tech sectors. MIP's proven ability to support and grow mid-market / SME enterprises results in faster, more economically impactful, and lower risk investments for government and private investors alike.
For more on the McMaster Innovation Park Development Advisory Panel visit https://mcmasterinnovationpark.ca/park-development-advisory-panel
SOURCE McMaster Innovation Park
McMaster Innovation Park: Gordon Forstner, Forstner Group Inc., C: 416-560-8056, [email protected]
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