Overview

Cultiv8 is one of Dalhousie’s sandboxes, located in the Faculty of Agriculture.
Piloted at the post-secondary level, the mandate of the Sandbox is to improve the sustainability of businesses across Nova Scotia; in effect, by building a culture of innovation. 

Cultiv8 programming has been designed to inspire and support students to build competencies in multidisciplinary exercises which revolve around communication, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving; upon entry into the working world, our students are enabling the businesses they own or work for to make better decisions and improve efficiencies, therefore becoming more sustainable.

Goals

The goals of Cultiv8 align the broader vision and mission of innovation and entrepreneurship at Dalhousie, including:

1. Increase the breadth of I&E education, including courses, co-ops and experiential learning.
2. Grow student, faculty and recent graduate participation in programs to explore and experience I&E.
3. Expand research directly related to I&E, research that generates intellectual property, commercialized research and industry partnerships.
4. Enhance inclusiveness and diversity of under-represented groups in I&E programs and activities. Cultiv8 does and will continue to explore opportunities for outreach to high school students, including under-represented groups in entrepreneurship and technology such as women, Indigenous persons, persons who are racially visible and persons with a disability. The goal will be to expand these activities as traction and resources are gained.
5. Support more student-led I&E activities. Once our students go through Discover programming and Bootcamp they can enter as alumni who take their own ideas through our programming; testing the skills they’ve amassed with problems in their field of interest.
6. Expose students to the broad array of successful agricultural businesses in the province, providing inspiration and insight as to the intricacies of running successful businesses (often in rural NS).
7. Contribute to the economic impact of the region by developing key stages along the pipeline of innovation, providing opportunities for business development, population retention and growth.