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10 years. 100+ projects. The Residency is an interdisciplinary program at Concordia that partners with local organizations to tackle real-world challenges through paid, full-time student work over the summer.
Alan Shepard Summer Residency 2027 (From May 10, 2027 to July 30, 2027)
A Campus-Wide Collaboration
The Residency brings together local organizations, senior students, and Concordia’s broader academic and innovation community to work on real-world challenges.
We explore challenges, test ideas, and develop practical responses.
Partner Organizations bring
Their knowledge, experience, context, and understanding of the challenge.
They gain:
- Additional capacity and dedicated support to research, develop, test, or prototype an idea, opportunity, or challenge they may not otherwise have the time or resources to explore.
- A tangible project outcome shaped around their needs and priorities.
- Fresh interdisciplinary perspectives from senior student teams, along with access to relevant expertise and networks across Concordia and District 3’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Residents bring
The skills and knowledge they have developed through their studies, along with diverse perspectives, creativity, and curiosity.
They gain:
- Hands-on, meaningful experience working on real challenges with local organizations.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration with students from different fields and backgrounds.
- Innovation and entrepreneurial skills developed through practice.
- Mentorship and exposure to faculty, researchers, entrepreneurs, and practitioners.
District 3 Brings
The expertise, networks, and support to help the collaboration move forward - including connections to faculty, researchers, entrepreneurs, and practitioners with relevant knowledge and experience.
How it works
Four challenges. Four teams. 12 weeks.
Each team of three senior students works with a partner organization on one project throughout the Residency. Supported by subject-matter experts, Residents work full-time and are paid during the 12-week Summer semester.
The Residency moves through four phases, giving teams time to understand the challenge, explore ideas, test and refine them, and develop a practical solution.
The Residency moves through four phases, giving teams time to understand the challenge, explore ideas, test and refine them, and develop a practical solution.
1
Problem Scoping
Understand the challenge, context, stakeholders, and needs through research and engagement with the organization.
2
Prototyping
Develop initial ideas and prototypes based on what the team has learned, and begin testing them with relevant stakeholders.
3
Prototype Validation
Gather feedback from the organization and stakeholders, then test and refine the prototype.
4
Solution Development & Documentation
Develop the final solution and work with the organization to document it for future implementation.
Who's Involved
Partner organizations
Organizations with a meaningful challenge, opportunity, or idea they would like to explore but may not have the capacity to take on themselves.
Students
Senior students from different disciplines who bring developed knowledge, skills, curiosity, and creativity.
Faculty & researchers
Faculty members interested in mentoring students, contributing expertise, or connecting their research/discipline with real-world organizational challenges.
District 3
D3 provides structure, facilitation, mentorship, and connections to faculty, researchers, entrepreneurs, practitioners, and other relevant expertise.
previous projects
Owlkids
DE LA NUMÉRISATION À LA TRANSFORMATION
The Challenge
Avec la hausse des coûts d'impression et l'évolution des habitudes familiales, Owikids devait faire évoluer son offre sans diluer les qualités créatives et éducatives qui ont fait la réputation de la marque pendant des décennies.
Resident Intervention
Les résidents ont recadré le problème. Au lieu de « mettre un magazine en ligne », ils ont fait surface ce que les familles appréciaient réellement dans le magazine : l'apprentissage tactile, la créativité et l'engagement actif. Ils ont prototypé Imagination Station : un environnement numérique qui transforme la lecture en action, permettant aux enfants d'organiser du contenu, de tisser des liens et de naviguer dans l'interaction.
Result
Recadrer la transition d'une archive imprimée à une archive numérique à un projet d'éducation numérique réfléchi et axé sur l'alphabétisation, renforçant ainsi la valeur durable de la marque pour les familles.
Go Coconut
FORGER DES ÉCONOMIES CIRCULAIRES
The Challenge
En tant que fabricant durable, l'entreprise produisait des déchets de mousse et de tissus qui contredisaient sa mission environnementale fondamentale.
Resident Intervention
Des chaînes d'approvisionnement inspectées, des occasions imprévues ont négocié un partenariat stratégique avec un refuge pour animaux local et conçu un système de réutilisation des déchets de fabrication en lits pour chiens de haute qualité.
Result
Réduction du gaspillage total des entreprises de plus de 2 % à moins de 1 % tout en débloquant de nouveaux avantages fiscaux et en renforçant l'engagement de leur marque envers le zéro déchet.
La Passerelle
BRISER LE CYCLE DE LA FAMINE DES ORGANISMES SANS BUT LUCRATIF
The Challenge
The Changements in the Public Financement Environmental ont exercé une pression continue sur les standards de financement, soulignant la nécessité de raffermir la viabilité à long terme tout en continuant de répondre à la demande de services sans cesse.
Resident Intervention
Collaboration avec les dirigeants pour explorer de nouvelles façons de tirer parti de l'expertise de l'organisation en matière de services de transition de carrière et d'employabilité, y compris les possibilités d'adapter les activités de base disponibles pour obtenir des revenus.
Result
Élaboration d'une feuille de route stratégique visant à améliorer la durée à long terme et à positionner l'organisation pour qu'elle se diversifie et évolue vers un modèle d'entreprise sociale.
Bring Us a Challenge
At District 3, partner organizations identify the projects that matter most to them. We then connect them with soon-to-be or recently graduated Concordia students, academics, researchers, and entrepreneurs whose knowledge, skills, and perspectives can help explore these challenges and bring new ideas to life.
For Organizations ->Jump right in!
For Students ->Take your skills into the real world
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