Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) has established an award to honour Gowlings' partner David McFadden's contributions to the energy sector and the innovation community in Ontario.
The David McFadden Energy Entrepreneur Challenge Award will be available to competing students in Ontario on an annual basis. Each year OCE will identify a particular challenge facing the energy sector. Students from Ontario's academic institutions will be invited to respond to the challenge with their entrepreneurial ideas and solutions.
During his many public speaking engagements, David has expressed his view that innovation should lead to a "safer, better" world, in addition to providing economic benefits. In keeping with David's philosophy, contest participants will be encouraged to submit a solution that would contribute to the betterment of our society and be commercially viable.
Contest participants will also be encouraged to develop their solution using a team drawn from multiple educational disciplines. This approach is in keeping with David's views that the most successful innovation is created when a variety of perspectives collaborate to achieve a common goal.
The initial challenge was announced at OCE's Discovery 2013 conference in Toronto on May 27 and 28. Competing students will submit their solutions to OCE on short video clips. These submissions will be assessed by a select panel of energy experts who will identify a group of ten finalists. These finalists will receive a small monetary amount to assist them with their costs along with opportunities to consult with expert advisors who will help them to formulate their proposals.
Subsequently at OCE's 2014 Discovery conference, each of the ten finalists will have an opportunity to present their concept and proposal to a panel of energy sector experts and investors. This panel will choose the winner(s) of the contest who will receive $25,000 and a suite a business services.
David's many contributions to innovation in Ontario include two years of service as a member of the Ontario Research & Innovation Council as well as eight years of service as Chair of OCE's Board of Directors. During David's tenure as Chair, OCE established a Centre of Excellence for Energy to promote innovation in Ontario's energy industry.
David also served on the Ontario Government's Electricity Conservation and Supply Task Force that produced a report providing a comprehensive strategy to meet the future energy demands of the province. This report is currently used as a basis for Ontario's energy policy. David currently serves as a member of the Ontario Smart Grid Forum where he helps to shape the policy directions for Ontario's electricity sector.
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