Minister Champagne highlights renewed funding for the Digital Technology Cluster while visiting Ideon Technologies Inc.
News release
A total of up to $298 million to mobilize Canadian industry to build world-leading digital technologies
May 26, 2023 – Richmond, British Columbia
Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, met with representatives of Ideon Technologies Inc. in Richmond, British Columbia, to discuss how they are accelerating the transition to low-impact mining through projects like the Earth X-ray for Low-Impact Mining.
Minister Champagne also had the opportunity to congratulate the Digital Technology Cluster on its recently renewed funding, bringing the total Government of Canada funding of the cluster to up to $298 million. This reinvestment in the Digital Technology Cluster will help mobilize Canadian industry to build digital technologies that will continue to make Canada a global leader in clean, healthy economic growth and see Canadian companies scale and grow.
Through the Global Innovation Clusters program, the government established a new approach to innovation: building accelerated and strong ecosystems in industries where Canada leads and has a significant competitive advantage. Since the launch of the program, the clusters have been finding new ways to build connections, bringing together experts in their respective fields to create high-quality, well-paying jobs, invest in promising projects, help firms scale up, and position Canada as a global leader in the innovation space.
The Earth X-ray for Low-Impact Mining project is a great example of how the Digital Technology Cluster is expanding its global presence, greening the economy, building more resilient supply chains and supporting the growth and scale-up of Canadian companies. The project recently won a Governor General’s Innovation Award for its outstanding work on a discovery platform that will help target deposits with greater precision and create the environmentally responsible mineral supply needed to fuel the clean energy transition.
Quotes
“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to congratulate the Digital Technology Cluster on announcing 94 projects to date, making a significant contribution to the digital technology ecosystem, both here at home and abroad. I look forward to seeing future made-in-Canada innovations in human and environmental health and deepening the digital talent pool as a result of this new funding.”
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“Achieving a net-zero future hinges on the competitiveness and sustainability of the Canadian natural resource industry. To cement the transition to low-carbon economies, we need sustainable, low-impact methods of locating and extracting critical minerals. DIGITAL is proud to partner with pioneers like Ideon Technologies, which are driving the development of transformative made-in-Canada solutions that are addressing this need. It’s our honour to continue fostering synergies between the best in Canadian industry and academia to become global leaders in driving digital innovation for some of the world’s most pressing issues.”
– Sue Paish, CEO | DIGITAL
"Digital's powerful innovative framework has been instrumental in driving our creation of breakthrough technology for the global mining industry, at a time when the industry and the world need it the most. The Earth-X consortium has enabled us to massively scale our ambitions and potential impact, within Canada and globally. By combining our strengths, our consortium has transcended traditional boundaries between academia and industry to achieve outcomes that extend far beyond the sum of the parts. This collective achievement is underscored by our being selected for the Governor General's Innovation Award—a recognition that is testament to the transformative power of collaborative innovation.”
– Gary Agnew, CEO and Co-Founder of Ideon Technologies Inc.
Quick facts
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Budget 2022 confirmed Canada’s commitment to the clusters, with an additional investment of $750 million through to 2028, to support the further growth and development of Canada’s Global Innovation Clusters, formerly called the Innovation Superclusters Initiative.
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As of March 2023, the clusters have announced more than 500 projects worth $2.37 billion, involving more than 2,500 partners.
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The Global Innovation Clusters program has strong measures in place to support intellectual property (IP) value creation and maximization of benefits for Canada and Canadians. In this regard, more than 855 IP assets have been generated since the program’s inception.
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Clusters are on track to meet or exceed the overall job creation target of 15,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs by 2023 and 50,000 by 2028.
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The clusters are also helping to build a skilled and diverse workforce by creating opportunities for women, racialized Canadians, Indigenous communities and other under-represented groups and by offering workshops and formalized training in response to the industry’s need for members of these groups to develop their talent, learn about topics or gain new skills.
Associated links
Contacts
Laurie Bouchard
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
laurie.bouchard@ised-isde.gc.ca
Media Relations
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
media@ised-isde.gc.ca
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