'95,000 sq. ft. of incredible collaboration space': Fanshawe College launches Innovation Village

It is a project that was five years in the making, and those on hand for the Friday morning launch of Fanshawe College’s Innovation Village believe it can be a game changer for students, businesses and surrounding communities.

Simon Trevarthen is the chief of Innovation and Open Assets officer for Fanshawe College, "Innovation village is 95,000 square feet of really incredible collaboration space for students."

Innovation Village is designed to promote partnerships with businesses that will foster research, innovation, and education, allowing students to then transition into the workforce or take an entrepreneurial path.

Fanshawe College President Peter Devlin said the focus is on being able to adapt to changes in society and technology.

Devlin told CTV News, "This is what's being taught here at Fanshawe College, an ability to adapt swiftly to technological change, to harness that potential, in all the industries that we work with."

Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop tried her hand at virtual welding, donning a virtual reality headset and guiding a simulated torch to join two pieces of metal.

2024. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London) Jill Dunlop, Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities, tried her hand at virtual welding on Jan. 26, 2024. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

Trevarthen said virtual training is viewed as a more economical and more effective training tool, with applications in disciplines ranging from the mechanical to medical, "It rapidly increases their skills acquisition because you can do something repeatedly but you can measure the accuracy of how well they're doing."

London Mayor Josh Morgan said companies that have recently settled in the region have been drawn here by the research partnerships and the skilled workforce that both Fanshawe and Western University can provide.

"We're able to compete on a national and a global scale because of investments like Innovation Village,” he said. “Because of the partnerships with the colleges and universities that employers can take advantage of."

The $58 million Innovation Village received federal, provincial, and municipal funding.

There were also private donations, including $5 million from philanthropist Diane Blake.

Fanshawe College leadership, along with politicians from all three levels of government, gathered at Forwell Hall for the Innovation Village launch on Jan. 26, 2024. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)