Network Events

McGuinty Government Supporting Start-up Information Technology Companies

The McGuinty government is funding the creation and expansion of angel investor networks that will help Ontario’s leading-edge start-up companies grow and succeed, Premier and Minister of Research and Innovation Dalton McGuinty announced today. more

OCE streamlines program offerings and teams with MaRS to deliver province’s new Market Readiness Program

The Ontario Centre of Excellence (OCE) has unveiled a new uniform program structure across its five research centres and has been given an enhanced mandate to help deliver the provincial government’s new $46-million Market Readiness Program (MRP). The decision to strengthen OCE’s program delivery and further integrate the organization into the province’s emerging research and innovation strategy and reflects Ontario’s aggressive move to position itself as a key Canadian engine of innovation. more

Life Time Achievement Award Goes to OCE Researcher

Dr. Brian Wilson (University of Toronto), a long-long OCE researcher, has been recognized for his extraordinary pioneering contributions to the translation of optical technologies from blackboard to benchtop to bedside with a Life Time Achievement Award at the fifth Inter-Institute Workshop on Diagnostic Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy on September 25th.

Ottawa inventors have a bright idea

A Canadian company whose financial backers include the federal government and energy giant EnCana Corp. is on a quest to develop the world’s best light bulb. more

Premier Announces New Innovation Fund

The Ministry of Research and Innovation recently announced a new fund designed to help innovative companies develop cutting-edge technologies that will strengthen Ontario’s economic advantage and provide high-value jobs for the future. The four-year, $24-million Innovation Demonstration Fund helps companies develop promising new technologies by supporting them at the pilot or demonstration project stage. more

Inspire the Next Generation of Materials Researchers

Through its Advance Materials Initiative, the Ontario Science Centre (OSC) is looking for new material — literally. OSC has put out the call for advanced materials that will inspire their visitors and provoke inquiry and experimentation. They’ve turned to OCE Inc. to tap into Ontario’s research community, hoping today’s materials researchers will contribute to an initiative that is sure to inspire the next generation.

OCE Sponsors Competition for Entrepreneurial Researchers

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. is a proud sponsor of the Entrepreneurship 101 For Researchers: Up-Start Competition. The contest, run by the MaRS Discovery District, aims to support the development and growth of young companies spun-off from academic research. The winning team will be presented with a $10,000 cheque courtesy of OCE Inc. The presentation will be made by Ilse Truernicht, CEO, Mars and Mark Romoff, President and CEO, Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc.

Centre for Earth and Environmental Technologies Issues Call for Expressions of Interest

The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. Centre for Earth and Environmental Technologies is soliciting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for proposed projects in its research clusters, including:

Agriculture Research Cluster

Resource Management Research Cluster

Sustainable Energy Solutions Cluster

Waste Management Cluster

The Expressions of Interest must be received electronically (Word or PDF format) by the end of the working day (1700 hours) April 14, 2006.

OCE-supported Panel Issues Report on Sustainable Water Well Infrastructure

The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. hosted the release of the Sustainable Water Well Infrastructure (SWWI) Expert Panel report entitled: “Water Well Sustainability in Ontario”.

Where Next Happened: Discovery 2006

OCE’s recent conference, Discovery 2006: Bridging the Innovation to Commercialization Gap, brought together nearly 1200 innovators. If you didn’t make it to the event, you missed a dynamic day. And while we cannot capture everything that happened, we can offer some interesting highlights:

* A video documenting the winner of the Mind to Market Award — which celebrates a successful industry/academic research collaboration, is available online.

* Nearly all the speakers have provided their presentation slides, giving a glimpse into some of the ideas discussed in the conference sessions.

* Premier McGuinty’s lunch keynote is now available on his website.

* See who won the Student Poster Competition — five of Ontario’s brightest young researchers.

* And, as part of its ongoing evolution, OCE also launched its new brand identity at the conference. The video presentation is now available online — it provides a feel for where we are headed.

We have a lot of exciting initiatives to continue this momentum — watch this site to see what’s next.