About CITO

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Who are we?
CITO – Communications and Information Technology Ontario – is an Ontario Centre of Excellence committed to strengthening the global performance of Ontario’s information technology and communications industries. We do this by building university and industry partnerships that foster the interchange of people, ideas and technologies.

When was CITO formed?
CITO was formed in October 1997 – the result of a merger between the Information Technology Research Centre and the Telecommunications Research Institute of Ontario.

Who funds CITO?
CITO receives most of its budget from the Ontario Ministry of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation, however we are increasingly supported by contributions from our member companies as well as the private sector.

What do we do?
We support academic research and build partnerships with the private sector to help new technology flow from the research lab to Ontario’s companies.

CITO’s primary goals are to:

  • To stimulate knowledge growth and innovation by investing in leading-edge research
  • To have a positive impact on Ontario’s economy by helping to bring research and innovation to market
  • To foster networking between industry and academic partners resulting in long-term interaction and partnerships
  • To provide access to timely information on global technologies
  • To create opportunities for job growth and investment by supporting innovative research, student training and commercialization

Academic Value Propositions:

  • Expand research mainly through mission oriented (consortia) project funding and optimize access to CFI and RDCF infrastructure funding
  • Expand student programs mainly through industrial internships
  • Undertake a very limited number of major projects with broad participation e.g. Ottawa Community Network, Post-production industry network
  • Expand access to and collaboration in international research through collaboration and exchange agreements
  • Develop student collaborative (team) research projects, and test concept of multi-student thesis
  • Provide access to non-credit courses in entrepreneurism, project management, etc, and provide opportunities for the development of communication skills
  • Improve research environment through access to industrial tools and equipment, principally through internships and ‘sponsorship’
  • Increase Professor participation in IP royalties

Industrial Value Propositions:

  • Increase the flow of Masters and Ph.D. Graduates with broadly-based industrially relevant skills and with deep knowledge in specific domains of key technological challenges
  • Create exploitable, world leading, knowledge for early deployment by project participants through Industrial and CITO researcher collaboration and interaction
  • Broker and implement research and business partnerships between and within lead users, and industrial and academic CITO participants for synergistic mutual economic benefit
  • Become the most valued strategic external investment of Ontario’s communications, information technology and digital media (content development) companies
  • Provide timely information on research directions, successes and technological discontinuities from world research activities

Industrial Commitment – as Partners:

  • Participation and collaboration in, and sponsorship of (investment in) research programs
  • Increasing investment (based on results and benefits)
  • Continuing and active participation in research program management and results exploitation
  • Consistent management of the total research capability as a strategic investment for each participant

Strategic Objectives:

  • Ensure strategic focus and long-term industrial relevance while maintaining world-class research
  • Achieve critical mass research in target areas
  • Ensure long-term sustainability and effectiveness
  • Optimize value to all stakeholders and increase their commitment
  • Achieve and leverage resource deployment
  • gain stakeholder involvement, investment and buy-in
  • achieve broad partnerships
  • optimize infrastructure funding
  • Win international recognition
  • Research Programs
  • Opportunity Identification Projects
  • Industrial Enabling Research
  • Mission Oriented Projects
  • Industrially Specified Research

Our Mission
To strengthen the global performance of Ontario’s information technology and communications industries through university/industry research partnerships involving the interchange of people, ideas and technologies.

Additional Reading
You can download copies of CITO’s Annual Report, corporate brochure and the CITO Innovation Tree at CITO’s Corporate ePublications page.