Community Engagement

Find an event. Partner in research. Hire a student or book space on campus for a conference. Connect with UBC Okanagan.

The annual Opera Under the Stars is a popular event at UBCO.
UBC Okanagan offers a variety of signature community events throughout the year, including UBC Connects.
UBC Okanagan annually welcomes students from School District 23 for the annual Expo of Awesome.
Students provide a positive impact in their community through the Community Service Learning program.

ENGAGEMENT AT A GLANCE

Community Engagement Statistics

Events

Explore hundreds of events at UBC Okanagan, from thought-provoking speakers to performance art and varsity athletic games.

Signature Events

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES

Compelling speakers explore issues that affect our region, our country and our world. The Distinguished Speakers series is a partnership between the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science and the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Chris Hadfield, 2013

Jay Ingram, 2015

Temple Grandin, 2017

UBC CONNECTS

A public lecture series, presented by President Santa J. Ono, featuring the world’s most esteemed thought leaders. UBC connects the dots — and people — to shed light on the world’s most pressing issues.

NOBEL NIGHT

Each December, UBC professors discuss the contributions of Nobel Prize winners, examining the what, how and why of the world’s big discoveries and ideas.

KILLAM LECTURE SERIES

A series of engaging events featuring recipients of the University Killam Professorship, UBC’s highest honour for faculty.

Select Faculty Events

Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies

Okanagan School of Education

Faculty of Engineering

COMMUNITY RESEARCH & INNOVATION PARTNERS

Collaborations with industry, government and organizations elevate our discovery and learning.

INTERIOR HEALTH
ACCELERATE OKANAGAN
INNOVATION PRECINCT

UBC’s connections with the BC’s Interior Health authority are deep, including the Healthy City Partnership (with the City of Kelowna), the Southern Medical Program, and UBC’s Clinical Academic Campus at Kelowna General Hospital where researchers in physics, biology and chemistry are working with the BC Cancer Agency to provide accurate radiation treatment evaluation sooner. Read more.

UBCO’s partnership with Accelerate Okanagan is a pipeline for Kelowna’s growing tech community to collaborate with students and faculty. Community entrepreneurs can tap into UBC talent and students get help launching tech ventures like Happipad.com, an online rental service developed by UBCO graduate Cailan Libby. Read more.

The UBC Innovation Precinct is a 55-acre parcel established as a new collaborative place for UBC to partner with non-profits and industry. One exciting project involves a partnership with BC-based Avcorp Industries to collaborate on the refinement of aerospace composite materials and advanced manufacturing. Read more.

EXPLORE RESEARCH AT UBC OKANAGAN

PARTNER WITH UBCO

UBC’s University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO) helps industry, government and non-profit partners to create flexible, on-going multi-faceted relationships with UBC research. For UBCO, contact: Derek Gratz, Associate Director, UILO (Okanagan Campus) | derek.gratz@ubc.ca | Phone: 250-807-9853.