Yellowknife, NT — Denendeh Development Corporation (DDC) and Mitacs have partnered to focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, and independent research in the Northwest Territories, where the starting point is the perspective of northern residents.
DDC — a not-for-profit corporation that fosters employment growth and career development in Dene Communities — and Mitacs have entered into an agreement to jointly recruit a Business Development Director to be strategically positioned with Denendeh Development Corporation to support Mitacs programs for the benefit of all residents in the NWT.
The Business Development Director will work closely with members of Mitacs’s national Business Development, Research, Policy, and Programs teams to deliver high quality projects, and with DDC to understand community needs, find academic and industrial opportunities, and identify suitable funding programs to leverage the research opportunities uncovered.
In line with the objectives of Aurora College’s transformation into a polytechnic university, the DDC-Mitacs initiative will increase access to quality post-secondary education opportunities for northerners and foster growth of northern research, providing services to students with more program choices. It will also attract research investments and respond to workforce development needs.
The DDC-Mitacs Business Development Director will foster co-investment partnerships amongst NWT communities, governments, post-secondary education and research institutions, and industry.
The Business Development Director will network with Mitacs’s national team, bringing opportunities from everywhere in Canada to students of NWT post-secondary institutions, and internship opportunities with NWT companies to students from other provinces/territories. The DDC-Mitacs partnership will assist the participation of Dene people in the Canadian economic structure and innovative businesses, while ensuring their traditional values, lifestyle, and culture are appropriately reflected in research guidelines and policies.
To see current job opportunities and apply for the Business Development Director position, access: Careers | Mitacs.
Quotes:
Darrell Beaulieu, Chief Executive Officer, Denendeh Group of Companies
“To fully participate in the economy and improve the economic conditions of our communities, we will require an educated and skilled workforce. The many challenges we face require innovative solutions and we want to be at the forefront as the entrepreneurs, knowledge holders, health specialists, teachers, and other professionals. Our partnership with Mitacs and the creation of the Business Development Director position in the NWT will connect our communities with education institutions and industry to carry out research and innovative development projects that are important to us.”
Jesse Vincent-Herscovici, Vice-President, Business Development, Mitacs
“Through this new partnership with the Denendeh Development Corporation, Mitacs advances a pathway to innovation in the Northwest Territories. We are delighted to work together with DDC and their membership of Chiefs representing 27 Dene First Nations communities, to understand community needs, help deliver meaningful projects, and provide opportunities for post-secondary students, benefiting all northern residents.”
About DDC:
DDC is a not-for-profit corporation, incorporated in 1982 under the Canadian Corporations Act. Membership consists of the Denendeh Chiefs. DDC’s Board of Directors are nominated by those Chiefs. DDC was established by the Denendeh National Assembly to enable the Dene of Canada’s Northwest Territories to share in the ownership of profitable business and to foster employment growth and career development in Dene Communities.
About Mitacs:
- Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions.
- Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada along with the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.
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