Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation.
Wilfrid Laurier University not only prepares our students for careers in a rapidly changing world, but also plays a role in driving innovation in our local communities and beyond. Through our partnership programs and research, Laurier is making meaningful contributions to achieving SDG 9.
The work that Laurier completed in 2025 to advance SDG 9.
While visiting the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market as a student, Wilfrid Laurier University alum Cole Jones (BA ’16) learned about a significant pain point for market vendors: even though direct-to-customer sales offered higher margins than wholesale, few were making a profit selling at the market because of the time and logistical costs involved. This realization sparked an idea, leading Jones to create Local Line – an e-commerce platform for farmers that recently won a Canadian Food Innovation Network Foodtech Frontier award.
Wilfrid Laurier University is launching a new Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering at its Milton campus in fall 2026, enhancing the university’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programming and meeting industry demand for talent in ethical AI, smart-city infrastructure, climate modelling and bioinformatics. The program marks the first time in the university’s 114-year history that it will deliver engineering programming to its students.
Experiential learning at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus isn’t just preparing students for their futures — it’s shaping the community. The Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie recently launched its Business Resource Toolkit, an online directory designed to help local entrepreneurs and small business owners access the supports they need to survive and grow. The toolkit brings together information on everything from human resources and health and safety to legal supports and Indigenous business services.
The Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University has launched the Lazaridis Intellectual Property (IP) Lab, offering free IP education and business strategy support to students, entrepreneurs and the wider community. The first resource of its kind for students, faculty, entrepreneurs and business owners in Waterloo Region, Brantford and Milton, the lab will provide accessible legal information on patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets – empowering users to protect and commercialize their innovations and inventions.
Laurier research centres advancing SDG 9.
The Centre for Supply Chain Management (CSCM) facilitates research in supply chain management. Affiliated with the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, the CSCM maintains regular communication between researchers, practitioners and strategic decision-makers in supply chain management. By establishing open communication through seminars, conferences and roundtables, relevant topics are analyzed and research findings are disseminated to stakeholders in a timely fashion.
The Co-operators Centre for Business and Sustainability facilitates and coordinates research related to business and environmental sustainability. The centre ensures regular communication between researchers and practitioners, including strategic decision-makers in the local sustainability community. Located in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Laurier, the centre hosts seminars, conferences and roundtables to discuss relevant topics aligned with practitioner needs and assists in disseminating research findings in a timely fashion to those who can use them.
Laurier initiatives in 2024 that advanced SDG 9.
As outlined in its Commercialization Framework, Laurier is committed to maximizing the benefits of research undertaken at Laurier for the benefit of the citizens of Ontario and its economy. We seek to create an ecosystem that drives innovation to strengthen human health and well-being, the economy, communities and the planet. We are committed to the management and protection of intellectual property generated by our researchers to maximize commercial opportunities and benefits to society. Our commitment is reinforced in our Research Strategy where knowledge dissemination, research excellence, partnerships and future-readiness are woven throughout.
Industry partnerships are a critical ingredient of Laurier's academic excellence. Through philanthropy, mentorship, research and co-operative education, Laurier fosters mutually beneficial opportunities for growth and success.
Discover how Laurier is contributing to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal targets.
