Brock University Vice-President, Research Gary Libben, right, and Azhar Mohammad, CMS executive director, signed a memorandam of understanding Tuesday, March 22.Brock University has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian Motor Speedway (CMS) to collaborate on research projects.
One partnership currently being considered is with Sport Management Associate Professor Julie Stevens from the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and the Centre for Sport Capacity at Brock.
“An area of research interest is the type of events the Canadian Motor Speedway could potentially host and the economic, social and environmental impact they would have on the Town of Fort Erie and the Niagara Region,” says Stevens. This partnership has the potential to develop into more projects within the Faculty and the University.
CMS is a company seeking to build a major motorsport racing and entertainment facility in Fort Erie. Officials from Brock and CMS gathered at the Speedway office in Fort Erie on Tuesday, March 22 for the signing.
“This agreement creates exciting opportunities for Brock researchers and students, the Canadian Motor Speedway and the surrounding community,” says Gary Libben, Vice-President, Research Brock University. “By coming together to apply research to real-world situations, we’re laying the groundwork for Niagara to gain economic and cultural benefits from this initiative in an environmentally sustainable way.”
Azhar Mohammad, CMS Partner and Executive Director, says the Speedway is proud to work with Brock’s Sport Management program.
“Canadian Motor Speedway values its partnerships with world-class educational institutions,” he says. “This partnership will provide experiential learning, expertise and research, as well as connect Brock University and CMS to other industry partners, taking us all to another level of excellence.”
Claire MacSweyn, CMS marketing and sponsorship spokesperson, says this research will be important to forming the Speedway’s calendar.
“As a multi-sports and entertainment venue, CMS will have a diverse year-round calendar of events. Collaboration in Sport Marketing and Sustainability in Sports will benefit Brock University research, CMS operations, sponsor engagement and the fan experience at CMS,” she says.
Brock University joins McMaster University’s Faculty of Engineering, Niagara College, and The University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s Automotive Centre of Excellence on Canadian Motor Speedway’s list of educational partners.
