She ascends to the position after a term as vice-chair and secretary
York University’s Pina D’Agostino has been announced as the first female chair of the Ontario Centre of Innovation board.
She specializes in intellectual property, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, and innovation ecosystems. As chair, she will look to drive the investment of industry, academia and government partners in research and development, technology development, and commercialization opportunities for Ontarians’ benefit in line with OCI’s mission.
“I am so grateful for this incredible honour and look forward to working with the amazing team at OCI to boost the innovation ecosystem and support homegrown, local companies across our province,” D'Agostino said.
D’Agostino first took a seat on the OCI board in 2023 before becoming vice-chair and secretary last year. She founded and is director of pro bono IP clinic IP Innovation Clinic as well as of Osgoode Hall Law School’s intellectual property law and technology intensive program. Moreover, she is the founding director of Osgoode program and research centre IP Osgoode.
She is the scientific director of the research program Connected Minds, which focuses on the intersections of neuroscience, AI, and society and received funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. She is a Tier 1 York research chair in intellectual property, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
D’Agostino was appointed associate vice-president research at York University earlier this year. She was named among Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in 2022 and was given the Ontario’s Minister’s Award of Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Ontario’s minister of economic development, job creation and trade, Vic Fedeli, said in a statement that D’Agostino’s ascension to the chair role “comes at a turning point in Ontario’s innovation history, where renewed vision and focused determination will prove vital to keep the province’s economy competitive.”
“Pina brings extraordinary vision and leadership that will help guide OCI into its next chapter. This is an exciting moment for our organization, our ecosystem and Ontario’s innovation economy,” said Claudia Krywiak, OCI’s president and CEO, in a statement.
