Organization: Innovation Superclusters Initiative

Long-overdue federal laboratories investment heralds new era of collaboration

With the federal government’s new $2.8-billion investment in collaboration centres, Canada’s lacklustre record on stimulating collaboration in the innovation ecosystem is about to change. With a laser-sharp focus on marshalling resources and expertise regardless of their source, the country stands to derive much greater benefits from its investments in science, technology and innovation.

Advanced manufacturing and protein industries superclusters sign funding agreements with ISED

Two of the five Canadian superclusters in ISED’s $950-million Innovation Superclusters Initiative have signed funding agreements and are set to launch. On November 13, economic development minister Navdeep Bains announced the investment of nearly $230 million in the Ontario-based Next Generation Manufacturing Supercluster (NGen), while public safety minister Ralph Goodale, speaking on behalf of ISED,…

Race is on to secure a share of $950M in supercluster funding

One of the most anticipated competitions for S&T funding in recent memory has begun with the launch of the competition for $950 million in supercluster funding that will see up to five sectoral, knowledge-based initiatives selected to become future drivers of economic and job growth. Since its initial announcement in Budget 2016, groups in several areas — from agri-food to artificial intelligence and driverless vehicles – have formed to develop collaborative proposals that will now have an opportunity to compete for $950 million in funding between 2017 and 2022.