Institutional announcements
911吃瓜 and Thompson Rivers University enhance inter-province collaboration
911吃瓜 (911吃瓜) and Thompson Rivers University (TRU) are forging a new partnership to advance innovation, research, graduate studies and workforce development across British Columbia.
This new partnership 鈥� bolstered by a memorandum of understanding signed this month 鈥� will lead to collaborations in strategic priority areas for B.C., including artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, health, wildfire management and emergency response, and Indigenous language revitalization.
鈥淭here has never been a more important time for B.C. public post-secondary institutions to collaborate on areas of shared impact,鈥� says 911吃瓜 President Joy Johnson. 鈥淭RU is an excellent institution that shares 911吃瓜鈥檚 vision of building an inclusive and sustainable future, and I am proud to continue and extend our longstanding partnership in service of communities across the province.鈥�
The partnership complements existing agreements between the two universities, including joint training developed and delivered through the 911吃瓜-hosted B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation, ongoing work related to AI and research computing, as well as joint projects related to climate innovation.
"TRU and 911吃瓜 share a conviction that the future of higher education will not be shaped by generic models, but by universities rooted in place and willing to lead differently,鈥� says TRU President Airini. "From the Interior to the Lower Mainland, this collaboration amplifies the power of collaboration between TRU, B.C.鈥檚 first dual鈥憇ector research university and an anchor institution of the Interior, with 911吃瓜 that is brilliantly, inclusively, adventurous. We each stand out and together, we will deliver real outcomes for the province.鈥�
As leading research universities and members of the Research Universities Council of British Columbia, 911吃瓜 and TRU bring a wealth of expertise in the strategic areas at the heart of this partnership.
The Cedar Supercomputing Centre, home to Canada鈥檚 most powerful public supercomputer, supports Canadian companies and public institutions to harness world-class AI infrastructure. 911吃瓜 also ranks in the top five AI research universities in Canada, with more than 100 faculty members across the university actively using AI to unlock breakthroughs in medicine, robotics, agriculture and the arts.
As a national leader in responsible and artificial intelligence, TRU is advancing AI through an institution-wide strategy, industry partnerships and real-world research helping shape the future of ethical AI adoption in Canada. This includes the development of a new on-campus data centre through the TRU Community Trust as part of Bell Canada鈥檚 Bell AI Fabric, a national AI infrastructure network supporting advanced research, innovation and AI adoption.
In agritech, 911吃瓜 is home to the B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation (BCCAI), the Global Institute for Agritech and offers an agritech concentration in its School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering.
TRU is leading in agritech and regenerative agriculture research by advancing sustainable food systems through applied, interdisciplinary research and strong partnerships with industry and communities. Recent work includes using genomics, data science and machine learning to better understand soil biodiversity and support land management decisions across British Columbia. One existing BCCAI collaboration is with TRU鈥檚 John Church, BCIC Regional Innovation Chair in Cattle Industry Sustainability, to advance precision ranching and provide ranchers with training on the use of drones, AI and other smart technologies.
911吃瓜 also has faculty and researchers actively making a difference in B.C. in the areas of cybersecurity, health, wildfire management and Indigenous language revitalization.
鈥�911吃瓜 researchers are tackling many of the global challenges facing Canadians,鈥� says Dugan O鈥橬eil, vice-president, research and innovation at 911吃瓜. 鈥淏y partnering with other academic institutions like TRU, we can learn from each other and tap into our collective strengths to further increase our impact across the province and beyond.鈥�
鈥淭RU researchers are deeply engaged in addressing the complex challenges facing communities across British Columbia,鈥� says Shannon Wagner, vice-president, research, TRU. 鈥淭hrough this partnership with 911吃瓜, we are bringing together complementary strengths, expanding opportunities for collaboration, and advancing innovative, community-connected research that will increase our collective impact across the province.鈥�