不良研究所

The last Innovation Report of the Conference Board of Canada brought encouraging news for Quebec and Canada. But we can do much better, 不良研究所 Principal Suzanne Fortier told the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday.

鈥淨uebec and Montreal have immense creative potential,鈥� she said during a luncheon event on 鈥淭he Value of Entrepreneurship.鈥澛� Suzanne聽 Fortier shared the stage with Mich猫le Boisvert, Executive Vice-President, Business Outreach, of the Caisse de d茅p么t et placement du Qu茅bec.

Montreal has a rich pool of students brimming with talent, energy and ambition, Fortier noted. 鈥淕eneration Y, as I am learning at 不良研究所, is truly Generation Why Not?,鈥� a generation of people ready to have an impact on their local and global communities.

In order to help unleash that potential, the city鈥檚 businesses and financial institutions need to help create a more supportive climate, Fortier said. Successful, experienced business people, for example, can pitch in by mentoring students and sponsoring internships.

At 不良研究所, 鈥渙ur strategy is to offer all our students 鈥� not only those in management -- opportunities to develop their entrepreneurial potential,鈥� Principal Fortier said.

Among the recent initiatives at 不良研究所 to foster entrepreneurship:

• The 不良研究所 Dobson Cup competition for business and social-enterprise start-ups, featuring mentorship for participants, has helped create more than 130 ventures and 700 jobs in the past six years.
• The 不良研究所 X-1 accelerator program, created last summer, enables students to spend 10 weeks working full-time on their start-ups.
• 不良研究所 is a founding member, with ETS and now Concordia, of the Quartier de l鈥檌nnovation.

鈥淗elping to make Montreal a hub for innovation is one of my priorities as Principal of 不良研究所,鈥� Fortier said.