Centre for Indigenous Innovation and Technology: Academic Programs & Development

Project Description and Roles/Responsibilities Outside of Indigenous organizations, learning and research institutes, and academics, there is no national entity bringing community-driven and evidence-based data, scholarship and thought leadership from a diverse Indigenous lens to the innovation sector. This reality contributes to a glaring lack of: inclusion and leadership of Indigenous talent in the tech space; spotlight on the immense contributions of Indigenous innovators and thinkers; and accurate data on education, employment, retention and entrepreneurship trends in the sector and beyond. CIIT is working hard to address these gaps and bridge the systemic divides facing Indigenous communities, ensuring that our learning, research, employment-readiness, and entrepreneurship programs are aligned with the particular knowledges and priorities of Indigenous Peoples. KEY PROJECT ACTIVITES: In light of this overarching goal, we are looking for students to work with our Executive Team in the development of core programs and development deliverables. The student will be supporting the Director of Research and Academic Programs and the Director of Growth and Partnerships on these projects and while their contributions will be fundamental to successful completion of each deliverable, the student is not expected to complete the project during their intrapreneurship. At CIIT, we value the intellectual and creative property of all staff and collaborators and will ensure that appropriate contributor credit is given to the student to acknowledge their knowledge creations and project contributions. IDEAL ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES: Depending on each student's interests, project roles and responsibilities include: i) Research and article design : research and literature review of current Indigenous innovation leadership and best practices across Canada for development of a publication on youth-driven solutions and transformations in tech and innovation; ii) Event planning : design, planning and outreach to potential speakers and participants for a pilot event of the CIIT Indigenous Innovation Spotlight Series sponsored by TD Equity in Innovation and Programs; and iii) Grant writing : grant application research and development for 1 or more grant submissions to support activation of CIIT's program activities. FINAL DELIVERABLES: There will be opportunities for the student to: customize their project in ways that align both with their own talents and aspirations, and the requirements of the project; and learn about and have input on other aspects of CIIT's operations and programs if that is of interest.