BlackBerry and University of Waterloo Look to Accelerate Canadian Innovation

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Nov 06, 2019, 08:00 ET

Revamped Partnership Plans to Focus on Fast Tracking High Potential R&D Projects

WATERLOO, Ontario, Nov. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) and the University of Waterloo today announced plans to renew their long standing partnership to help drive Canada's innovation economy forward.

Combining the University's world-renowned research and BlackBerry's proven ability in delivering impactful products and services, the two organizations will work together to develop a plan for continuous joint innovation, with the goal of creating a joint lab that will fast track the development of research and technology into products that can ultimately be taken to market.

Working from an official partner suite on the University's campus, the two organizations will explore ways faculty and students can work alongside top BlackBerry R&D and business leadership teams in research, workshops and economic development sessions. One of the first of these sessions, Marketing and Sales Strategy 101 on November 12 will see students learn about the strong importance of GTM (Go To Market) strategy from BlackBerry executives and work through real life examples of GTM considerations in the technology sector.

"We are proud to have worked with the University of Waterloo for more than 30 years to help build our company and turn it into one of the world's most recognized and celebrated technology brands," said Charles Eagan, Chief Technology Officer at BlackBerry. "We are thrilled to reinvigorate our relationship which promises to strengthen the entire Canadian technology and cybersecurity industry."

On campus, senior representatives from BlackBerry's sales, product, R&D and leadership teams will continue to interact with groups including the Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR) and will build new relationships with the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute, AI Institute (Waterloo.AI), faculty, and undergraduate and graduate co-op students, to define the future partnership that will enable them to go further in research, transition technologies more efficiently to market, and offer new opportunities for real world experience to help train up the next generation of technology and cybersecurity experts.

"We are pleased that one of Canada's leading technology firms wants to explore ways to leverage the deep knowledge and amazing talent of Waterloo's faculty and students," said Charmaine Dean, Vice President, University Research and International at the University of Waterloo. "We are keen to build on the deep partnership fostered between BlackBerry and centres like the WatCAR and expand research into new areas where Canada can lead the world in technology development."

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) is a trusted security software and services company that provides enterprises and governments with the technology they need to secure the Internet of Things. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company is unwavering in its commitment to safety, cybersecurity and data privacy, and leads in key areas such as artificial intelligence, endpoint security and management, encryption and embedded systems. For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.

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SOURCE BlackBerry Limited