Working in Partnership

York University understands that by partnering with other entities and sectors we gain vital insights and capacity to create positive impact for our students, our campuses, and our broader communities.

York has always embraced the view that we have much to learn from the communities we serve. We are a longtime leader in community-engaged research, teaching, and civic action. Our interactions with entrepreneurs and industry have grown exponentially in recent years with the launch of Innovation York, YSpace in Markham, and several Faculty-based innovation hubs. Through our Indigenous Framework, we are committed to engaging and supporting Indigenous communities and recognizing the support they provide to York. We know from experience that by working with other kinds of organizations we broaden our field of vision and increase our collective problem-solving capacities, while offering our students valuable learning and career opportunities. 

As a university, we will model new and deeper forms of collaboration with industry, government, alumni, donors, and community partners across all of our campuses.

Over the next five years, we will continue to build cross-sector and inter-community partnerships that can serve as vital catalysts for positive change. As a university, we will model new and deeper forms of collaboration with industry, government, alumni, donors, and community partners across all of our campuses. Our students will deepen their understanding of their social responsibilities and open their horizons to new and exciting career paths. Signature activities will include the following:

• developing with partners in Vaughan an integrated, interdisciplinary health precinct that will serve the needs of a growing region, while creating synergies for health-related research, teaching, and innovation
• establishing a UN-sponsored CIFAL¹ centre to provide cross-sectoral training and development programs that will advance the UN SDGs
• attracting partners to help realize the potential of our Keele campus Lands for Learning to support both our academic mission and our social and environmental responsibilities
• implementing York University’s social procurement policy, one of the first among Canadian academic institutions, as part of our broader commitment to being an anchor institution for the region 
• continuing to work with York’s Indigenous Council to strengthen the Indigenous presence on campus
• connecting our entrepreneurship and innovation activities to the broader innovation ecosystem of Ontario 

1. CIFAL stands for Centre international de formation des autorités et leaders’ (in English: International Training Centres for Authorities and Leaders). The CIFAL Global Network aims to strengthen capacities of government officials and civil society leaders to advance sustainable development: https://unitar.org/about/offices-training-centres-around-world/cifal-global-network.