The Ontario Tech Fidelity gift will support cybersecurity research and student scholarships at the Oshawa university, linking financial assistance with research-based learning in financial technology security.
Ontario Tech announced the $100,000 contribution from Fidelity Investments Canada ULC on October 29. The funding is divided among undergraduate awards, graduate scholarships and the university’s Institute for Cybersecurity and Resilient Systems.
How the contribution is divided
Fidelity is providing $30,000 for undergraduate scholarships in selected business and information technology programmes. Through Ontario Tech’s undergraduate scholarship matching programme, that portion will provide $60,000 in Fidelity Investments Canada Scholarships.
A separate $20,000 will fund four graduate scholarships worth $5,000 each in selected business and IT programmes.
The remaining $50,000 will go to the Institute for Cybersecurity and Resilient Systems, known as ICRS. The university says that funding will advance research and create structured learning opportunities for students working in fintech cybersecurity.
The matched undergraduate total is distinct from the size of Fidelity’s contribution: the donor’s announced gift is $100,000. The university’s matching arrangement increases the undergraduate scholarship support, rather than changing the stated donor amount.
Research beyond technical defences
ICRS brings researchers, students and partners together to examine cybersecurity challenges affecting organizations and communities. Ontario Tech describes an approach that combines technology with legal, ethical and social considerations.
The institute’s work includes policies, the reliability of systems and protection of data. The announcement places the new support in that wider context rather than identifying a single completed security product or a newly released research finding.
Faculty of Business and Information Technology dean Dr. Carolyn McGregor said the contribution would strengthen research while giving students opportunities to develop skills for a technology-driven workplace.
The university also highlighted third-year Networking and IT Security student Aidan Waddell, who described scholarship support as helping him concentrate on his education.
An existing partnership grows
The Ontario Tech Fidelity gift builds on a relationship that already includes corporate training, co-op placements, internships and sponsorship of Ontario Tech Community Day, according to the university.
Fidelity Canada head Rob Strickland connected the investment to preparing students for cybersecurity and technology careers. Ontario Tech says the contribution also supports its Tech with a Conscience campaign.
The announcement does not provide a public application deadline, name all eligible programmes or state when each award will be distributed. Students should obtain those details through the university rather than assume the announcement opens a separate application process.
