For the first time, the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC) Industry Forum will be held in Canada and proudly hosted by McMaster University’s Faculty of Engineering.
Global academic and industry experts in engineering and technology will gather to pioneer solutions to some of the greatest challenges shared by employers, educators and innovators in the industry.
This year’s event will have a focus on the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals, a priority for McMaster, which ranked No. 2 globally in last year’s Times Higher Education IMPACT rankings.
“As a champion of research and education that emphasizes impact, the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University is proud to host this influential and forward-thinking event that explores solutions to real-world challenges,” said Ishwar K. Puri, McMaster’s Dean of Engineering.
“The GEDC Industry Forum provides the opportunity to bring together leading thinkers to discuss how best to transform engineering education and strengthen ties between academia and the private and public sectors.”
The invitation-only event was created by Petrus Communications in partnership with GEDC to create a community to inspire the next generation of experts in engineering and technology.
Since the first event held in Fontainebleau, France in June 2017, successful events took place in both Bucharest, Romania and Fontainebleau, France in 2019. The events to-date have gathered senior delegates from 28 countries across six regions.
“Each edition of the Industry Forum has enabled valuable exchanges to take place, creating a meaningful dialogue between leaders from the corporate world and academia,” said Kirsten Williamson, Founder and CEO, Petrus Communications.
“I am particularly happy that this coming edition focuses on embedding sustainability and ethics into engineering education and look forward to working with our partners at GEDC and McMaster Engineering to deliver an exceptional experience in July.”
Şirin Tekinay, Chair of GEDC, says the success of the last three Industry Forums in enabling a one-of-a-kind platform for open innovation have been tremendous.
“For the 2020 installment, we believe we found a wonderful host in McMaster University, a global university with a top impact ranking in terms of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Tekinay, Dean, College of Engineering, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
The delegates will meet from July 6 to 8 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., and will travel to McMaster University’s campus.
McMaster Engineering hosted the GEDC Conference in 2017 in Niagara Falls, which attracted more than 150 delegates from 25 countries.
