Federal Government Is Looking for More Canadian Innovations
The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, announced in Calgary that the Government of Canada is once again accepting applications from local businesses to help kickstart their innovative ideas by moving their products and services from the lab to the marketplace.
“In Canada, we have enormous entrepreneurial talent and through this program, we’re giving Canadian businesses an opportunity to move their ideas into action,” said Minister Ambrose. “Our Government is committed to delivering results for hard-working Canadians by staying focused on what matters most to them—jobs and the economy.”
Launched in 2010, the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program/Kickstart initiative (CICP) is a $40-million pilot program created to help Canadian businesses by testing their innovative products and services within the Government of Canada before taking them to the marketplace. Federal departments will test innovations that fall within four key areas: environment; health; safety and security; and technology.
The second call for proposals is now available on MERX, the Government of Canada’s electronic tendering service. Successful bidders will see their pre-commercial innovative products and services tested within government departments, and will be given valuable feedback from users participating in the pilot program.
In March, 19 innovations were announced as part of the first round of the CICP. Today, the Minister announced an additional eight pre-qualified Canadian innovations that government departments will be able to buy. These additional innovations were submitted under the first call for proposals.
The following eight additional businesses have pre-qualified for the first round of the CICP:
- Breviro Caviar Inc.(formerly Supreme Sturgeon and Caviar Ltd) – Pennfield
- Amika Mobile Corporation – Ottawa
- Edgewater Computer Systems Inc. – Ottawa
- Fluvial Systems Research Inc. – White Rock
- blutip Power Technologies Inc. (formerly Hy-Drive Technologies Ltd.) – Mississauga
- S5 Systems – Ottawa
- Synodon Inc. – Edmonton
- Trusted Positioning Inc. – Calgary
There are now 27 pre-qualified innovations from Canadian companies that form a part of the CICP’s first round. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is working with government departments to match innovations with the right test departments, and will be entering into negotiations with the selected companies to put contracts in place to test their innovations, should the right department be found. This will facilitate Canadian companies in moving their innovations into domestic and international markets.
The CICP is managed by PWGSC’s Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, whose mandate is to improve accessibility to government procurement opportunities for small and medium enterprises. Launched as part of the Government of Canada’s Budget 2010, the CICP is a new initiative to promote Canada’s economic growth.