5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Tech in Brampton
Published February 28, 2018 at 5:27 am
From the grassroots to big business, and everything in between, Brampton is a hotbed of activity when it comes to technology.
Here are five things you might not know about the cool, tech-related things happening in Brampton:
5) Brampton’s set to focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and a becoming a centre for innovation
Did you know that Brampton is getting a new university campus? What about that the school coming here will be a joint partnership between Ryerson University and Sheridan College, which has a campus in Brampton?
Like Sheridan, Ryerson is well-known for being at the leading edge of technology-focused learning. As part of this initiative, Brampton will be building a new centre for education, innovation and collaboration, and a key part of this facility will be an innovation hub – an incubator for up and coming and expanding tech businesses.
At a recent event, the President of Ryerson talked about his vision for a Global Centre for Cybersecurity in conjunction with the upcoming Brampton campus – a place where learning, research and business come together to operate a centre of excellence and innovation in cyberscience and cybersecurity.
4) Brampton is a major part of the southern Ontario cluster of advanced manufacturing
The Federal government recently announced funding for a series of sector-based superclusters across Canada. Among those is an advanced manufacturing supercluster in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton area. Basically, this means an injection of funding and enhanced collaboration between industry, government and other stakeholders to spur innovation and growth in advanced manufacturing.
Advanced manufacturing is Brampton’s largest sector, and has an opportunity to see real benefits from this regional partnership. Sheridan’s Centre of Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technology is a resource for businesses and students to learn about, and apply, high end technology to manufacturing processes. Significant, global businesses like ABB Robotics, Brannon Steel, Almag Aluminum and BMP Metals are leaders in advanced manufacturing and innovative technology, breaking new ground in the field, growing their businesses all over the world and employing highly skilled workers.
3) Brampton is a leader in open data for all
The Brampton GeoHub is an open data platform and collaborative technology that makes it easier for people to access public information such as property maps, bike maps and zoning by-laws. It features initiative-driven tools that help increase transparency and foster innovation. The GeoHub can be used to combine datasets and perform analysis through the use of maps and charts, or to download data to tell a story.
2) Brampton breeds incredible entrepreneurs and innovators
The City of Brampton, in partnership with Startup Peel, hosted a recent Techstars Global Startup Peel Region Weekend. Thirteen-year-old Brampton Entrepreneur Centre client Nathaniel Hawron placed 2nd at the event. He started a business introducing children to technology by bringing robotics to birthday parties, with an ultimate goal to launch a school for robotics in Brampton. His Microsoft mentors loved his idea so much that Nathaniel is on tap for monthly workshops at the Microsoft store. Several Brampton residents were part of the winning team, GoReno, that built a business to help homeowners find trusted contractors for home renovation projects through an online social network.
1) Tech groups grow from the ground up in Brampton
Can you say “started from the bottom?” (Drake reference!)
Grassroots technology organizations are sprouting up all over the city. A group called Cipher is a very active example, bringing high school and university students together for hackathons and events. Turner Hacks and WolfHacks are both newly formed coding groups based out of the Turner Fenton and Chinguacousy high schools respectively and are organizing their very first hackathons over the next few months. The Brampton Innovation Group – a collection of entrepreneurs and technologists – are part of the movement, working with the City to host Tech Socials and coding events. Brampton Robotics is a non-profit organization promoting STEM education through robotics. Founded by six high school students and their parent mentors, Brampton youth from grades four through 12 design, build and compete with robots, and have seen success in various regional, national and international events. Groups like these are just some of the organizations helping activate Brampton’s tech scene.
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