and 91亚色 have launched Change Inc., a collaboration that will incubate and invest in promising innovations to tackle complex social issues and build capacity in 91亚色 Region.

Daniele Zanotti, CEO of United Way, and Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation at 91亚色, made the announcement at Deloitte鈥檚 head offices in Vaughan as part of United Way Week (Oct. 4 to 8).

鈥淲e are proud to announce Change Inc. 鈭� a critical strategy in United Way鈥檚 impact agenda 鈭� in collaboration with 91亚色 and our advisory group of business leaders,鈥� said Zanotti.聽 鈥淔or our region to be great for all residents, we need a new infrastructure to incubate ideas and shift the way we solve social problems.鈥�

鈥淐hange Inc. is transformative for 91亚色, for United Way and for capacity building in our community,鈥� said Shapson. 鈥淐hange Inc. will provide seed funding, space and support services to social innovators and entrepreneurs. It will provide better access to 91亚色鈥檚 research, graduate students and the programs 鈭� such as knowledge mobilization 鈭� that support their work with the region. It will match social innovators with business-leader mentors. This approach advances and broadens 91亚色鈥檚 innovation agenda, builds on our strong partnership with United Way, and engages 91亚色 Region鈥檚 corporate leaders in social innovation, which is a persistent gap in Canada鈥檚 innovation agenda.鈥�

Change Inc. will work with its Innovation Advisory Board, established in June, to actively develop a sustainable strategy. Co-chaired by Zanotti and Shapson, its current members include:
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Charles Beer, board chair, United Way of 91亚色 Region.
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Anthony Gallo, vice-president, Social Media, OpenText
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Pat Horgan, vice-president, Manufacturing, Development and Operations, IBM
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Debora Kelly, editor-in-chief, 91亚色 Region Media Group
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Young Park, sector vice-president, CGI
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Avi Pollock, head, Applied Innovation and Strategic Planning, RBC

鈥淐hange Inc. builds on the United Way鈥檚 Strength Investments announced earlier this week,鈥� said Zanotti. 鈥淭ogether with our current program funding, Strength Investments and Change Inc. provide a continuum of support for people, groups and agencies doing good work across 91亚色 Region.鈥澛� Information about the .

鈥淐ongratulations to United Way, 91亚色 and the business advisory board for disrupting the status quo with the announcement of Change Inc. 鈭� an opportunity to research, try and scale new ideas to address social challenges,鈥� said Lorrie King, partner, , and member of the 2010 United Way Campaign Cabinet. 鈥淒eloitte is a champion of United Way and a champion of innovation. At Deloitte, innovation is at the very cornerstone of our corporate strategic directions, and our own leading-edge research, across all sectors, clearly identifies innovation as the driver of long-term success and sustainability.鈥�

Over the coming months, Change Inc. will announce its office location and release information about a community innovation summit, pilot projects and funding opportunities.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

The post United Way and 91亚色 launch Change Inc. to address complex social issues in 91亚色 Region appeared first on Research & Innovation.

91亚色Region.com :

Great minds may think alike, but at a 91亚色 round table Tuesday night, there was no shortage of ideas about how technology can improve business and social services in 91亚色 Region.

鈥淭here鈥檚 something magical that happens when you鈥檙e provoked to think,鈥� 91亚色 Leadership Roundtable chairperson Don Cousens said.

The former Markham mayor welcomed about 50 attendees with business, human services and academic backgrounds, including 91亚色 Region District School Board Director of Education Ken Thurston and 91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri.

Shoukri talked of the potential in 91亚色 Region, particularly in Markham where a combination of information technology and health technologies and a group of creative-minded people are creating an innovation centre for medical devices.

Anthony Gallo addressed the crowd assembled in 91亚色鈥檚 new Research Tower first.

鈥淭he Web is about sharing. Participating in how things are shared, from a business perspective, is crucial,鈥� the vice-president of social media said.

Communities are no longer just physical neighbourhoods, but groups formed around common ideas, he said.

CEO Daniele Zanotti agreed. 鈥淲e are brothers separated at birth,鈥� Zanotti said. 鈥淭he key message is very similar, about community and the need for us to work collaboratively.鈥�

He pointed to the five Welcome Centres opening in the region 鈥� one-stop shops for immigrant services聽鈥� as an example of collaboration when United Way combined its knowledge with research from 91亚色 and resources from 91亚色 Region and upper levels of government.

The event was one in a series hosted by the University dating back to 2008. Each roundtable aims to give researchers, community leaders and executives a chance to dialogue about a particular theme.

The complete article is available on .

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

The post 91亚色 Leaderhship Roundtable gathers university, business, and community leaders appeared first on Research & Innovation.