Backgrounder: Ottawa invests in ocean commercialization centre

January 10, 2014

Backgrounder

Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research Announcement

The Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) program bridges the gap between research and commercialization. The program matches clusters of research expertise with the business community to share the knowledge and resources that bring innovative products and processes to market faster. Centres advance research and facilitate commercialization within four priority areas: the environment; natural resources and energy; health and life sciences; and information and communications technologies.

Centres adopt different models to best serve the commercialization needs of their sector, including acting as investors, incubators or service providers. With revenue sources that range from fee-for service and membership fees to product sales, royalties and equity in start-up companies, each CECR has a mandate to become self-sustaining while maximizing economic impact for its partners.

The CECR program was created in 2007 and currently supports 21 active centres across the country.

The CECR competition resulted in three applicants receiving additional funding totaling $22.2 million over five years (2014-2018):

•  Ocean Networks Canada Innovation Centre – ONCIC ($4.4 million)
  The Ocean Networks Canada Innovation Centre commercializes and applies the world-leading marine monitoring technology used by Ocean Networks Canada in its VENUS and NEPTUNE ocean observatories. The Innovation Centre also works with partners to market a suite of products and services designed to benefit sectors as diverse as marine safety and security, energy, and transportation management.
• The Canadian Digital Media Network – CDMN ($8.7 million)
  The Canadian Digital Media Network helps bring digital media technologies to market in areas such as health care, education, entertainment, financial services, energy and advanced manufacturing. CDMN is dedicated to establishing Canada as a world leader in digital media and has created a network of 25 commercialization hubs across the country.
• GreenCentre Canada – GCC ($9.1 million)
  Green Centre Canada transforms research breakthroughs in green chemistry, an area of research that develops processes and products to reduce or eliminate hazardous substances. By supporting the development of innovative green chemistry, GCC provides the industry with sustainable alternatives that meet market demands while improving human health and driving the economy.