Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research solve problems, advance innovation and create jobs

STRATFORD - The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology) announced the establishment of a new Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR).

"This new centre will help Canadian researchers and entrepreneurs get more of their innovations from the lab to the marketplace," said Minister Goodyear. "Our government is committed to investing in research and development in order to create jobs, improve the quality of life of all Canadians and strengthen the economy for future generations."

The Corridor for Advancing Canadian Digital Media (CACDM) in Waterloo Region, Ontario, will link digital media clusters from across the country and enable researchers and entrepreneurs to collaborate on the development of new digital media. Through its partners, the centre will offer research activities for graduate students, and commercialization support and services for industry.

The Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research bring together partners from the academic, private and public sectors to advance research and facilitate commercialization of technologies, products and services. The Minister of State announced that the CACDM will receive $10.7 million over five years. More information on this new centre is provided in the attached backgrounder.

The total funding requested by the successful applicants came to $62.3 million. Information on the other Centres will be announced shortly. The new Centres join the 11 CECRs launched by the Government of Canada in a $163-million announcement one year ago.

The CECR program is a key commitment of Canada's Science and Technology Strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage, announced in May 2007. Through Budgets 2007 and 2008, this Government has invested significantly in support of the S&T strategy's objectives, which aim at building a stronger future for Canadian families and businesses.

This program is administered by the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Secretariat. Launched in 1989, the NCE is an initiative of the three federal granting agencies-the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)-in partnership with Industry Canada.

"The NCE program is proud to be a part of the Government's vision for a more prosperous, advanced and competitive Canada," said Dr. Suzanne Fortier, Chair of the NCE Steering Committee and President of NSERC. "These new CECRs will work on important, multifaceted Canadian problems while bringing the very best ideas to the marketplace. We look forward to helping them achieve their maximum potential and impact."

Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research

The Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECRs) bring together partners from the academic, private and public sectors to advance research and facilitate commercialization of technologies, products and services. They are a key element of the Government of Canada's Science and Technology (S&T) Strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage, introduced in May 2007. This multi-year framework is creating an environment that encourages innovation partnerships between the academic, private and public sectors, and will guide the intelligent, strategic investment of public funds.

Budget 2007 set aside a total of $350 million to create Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research. The first competition, worth $165 million, was launched in June 2007 and was aimed at creating Centres in the four S&T priority areas: health and life sciences, information and communications technologies (ICT), natural resources and energy, and environmental sciences and technologies. The Government of Canada announced 11 CECRs in February 2008. The second competition, worth $62.3 million, was launched in May 2008 and targeted the ICT and environment sectors. The Centres are funded for five years and are expected to be self-sufficient at the end of that period.

Corridor for Advancing Canadian Digital Media (CACDM), Waterloo, ON

The Corridor for Advancing Canadian Digital Media is a joint initiative of Communitech and the Stratford Institute. It will link Canada's digital media clusters from coast to coast, creating a digital convergence corridor and enabling collaboration between researchers, implementers, and entrepreneurs. Two complementary digital media hubs - the Stratford Institute and Waterloo Region's Digital Media Convergence Centre (DMCC) - will provide the facilities for sustainable digital media activity. The Stratford Institute will offer global business-centred research activities for graduate students, commercialization support for industry, and the tools and environment necessary to foster commercially viable content creation. The DMCC will offer the latest visualization hardware and software, business start-up services, and office space for innovators in their start-up or pre start-up phase.