Mark Freel Appointed RBC Professor in the Commercialization of Innovation

Mark Freel has recently been appointed as the Telfer School’s RBC Financial Group Professor in the Commercialization of Innovation for a 5-year period.

Mark Freel, M.A. (Glasgow), M.Sc. (Paisley), Ph.D. (Aberdeen) is the Director of the MSc in Management and a full professor at the Telfer School of Management in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship. He is a recognized researcher and has undertaken different projects on behalf of European regional, national and supra-national government bodies. Additionally, he has been awarded several grants from charities and research councils to study different aspects of entrepreneurship, innovation policy and strategy in the context of specific communities in Britain. The professorship is a joint initiative between RBC Financial Group and the Telfer School of Management, and focuses on commercialization of science- and technology-based innovations. This appointment will offer Professor Freel the opportunity to provide support and mentorship to faculty involved in entrepreneurship and commercialization of innovation and to contribute to the Telfer School’s efforts to develop this strategic area of excellence. The inaugural incumbent, Tom Brzustowski, held the position from 2005 to 2012.

The RBC Professor will harness strong business and academic resources to advance research, educational programs and outreach with the community in this area. The RBC Professor also collaborates with the Telfer School’s Entrepreneur-in-residence in the development of courses and other initiatives related to entrepreneurship.