On 9th of April 2025, Assoc. Prof. Robert Pyka, PhD, representing our Observatory, will deliver a lecture at the University of Ottawa (Canada) entitled “Urban Innovation: A Look at European Metropolises.”
The event is part of prof. Pyka’s broader collaboration with the Canadian university. He currently serves as the principal investigator of the research project “Social Innovation and Alternative Urban Models through the Lens of Metropolitan Governance in Central Europe and Canada,” carried out at the University of Ottawa.
Following years of collaboration in the field of institutionalization and empowerment of metropolitan areas with Prof. Éric Champagne, Director of the Centre on Governance at the University of Ottawa, the two researchers have initiated joint research into the innovation potential of Canadian metropolises. Their work applies the innovative place model and related research approach developed by prof. Pyka and his team.
This is a pilot project, currently focused on the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area, but it lays the groundwork for broader joint research in the future.