Agility

Agility is 100% donor-funded and provides students with a chance to apply their liberal education and explore their curiosities. The program is open to any student in any program or discipline. Students will receive experiential learning opportunities in innovation through hands-on experience problem-solving, and real-world projects. It is a place to meet inspiring people. Agility focuses on delivering innovative experiences related to agriculture agribusiness, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. Students can become involved through events, scholarships, fellowships, co-ops, entrepreneurial assistance, and courses. Our goal is to create thinkers and inspire doers.

Agility works closely with faculty members to provide unique learning experiences for students. An Agility faculty advisory board, which meets monthly during Fall & Spring terms, assists with the direction of the program. If a student or faculty has an idea, we work with them to help it become a reality through educational experiences, and, more specifically, Applied Studies. Currently, Agility has working groups for the following projects:

• Agility Pitch Competition: Where students get to pitch their business ideas in an annual competition for seed funding to put towards their business.
• Campus Ecology: The Campus Ecology Project aims to connect local First Nation leaders, expert faculty members, and dedicated students to create a sustainable campus through applied research. Recent projects include:
  • o Roots of Growth: A student-led project that aims to memorialize the victims and survivors of the residential schooling system by planting 4 native trees across campus.
  • o Digital App Project: Community members will be able to use an app (developed by students) to navigate across campus to the plant locations.
• Cor Van Raay Innovation Fund: Is open for all faculty, instructors, academic assistants, librarians, and student teams with a faculty supervisor to apply. The fund will provide up to $2,500 for projects that have an agriculture or agribusiness focus.
• Food for Thought: A cohort to decrease food insecurity on campus by supporting projects related to sustainable accessibility of healthy food for the campus community.
• Trailblazing: Where you get paid to work on your business idea. Trailblazing is an entrepreneurial cohort that takes students through the early stages of building your business, offering support and financial aid.

We work closely with community partners to deliver relative events, with the largest event being the RBC Summit: Influence Your Future through Innovation, which occurs every spring. To learn more about the event, visit www.rbcsummit.ca. We also work closely with other internal departments to present STEM Fusion: Where Academics and Industry in STEM Collide. This conference connects STEM professionals with commercialization, innovation, and entrepreneurship. To learn more about STEM Fusion, visit www.stemfusion.ca. As part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, Agility works closely with other partnering institutions to facilitate Women in Entrepreneurship Week to nurture, inspire, and energize female founders around the world: http://www.albertawew.ca. Swipe Out Hunger works with colleges and universities to implement and amplify a range of anti-hunger programs across our their 130+ campus network. The University of Lethbridge is their first Canadian partner. Learn more at: https://www.swipehunger.org.

As part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, Agility provides students with free assistance; including consultation to assist with the beginnings of a business idea, analyzing how far along the entrepreneur path a student is, and connection to relevant resources and services. Agility currently supports RINSA Hub, a digital networking platform that connects Southern Alberta entrepreneurs and innovators. RINSA Hub focuses on mentorship, community, building start-ups, finding job/volunteering opportunities, and exclusive access to resources and events. Join the Hub at https://rinsahub.ca.

Agility also has a maker space called the Innovation Zone with over 40 different kinds of equipment and tools open to all students, faculty, and staff. Some popular pieces include: 3D printers (FDM & resin), laser cutter, button maker, vinyl cutter, heat press, and VR headsets. The Zone provides materials and resources for class and personal projects at no cost, and is also home to many events and workshops.

If you are interested in becoming involved or learning more about the program, contact agility@uleth.caor visit www.uleth.ca/agility.