Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program – Targeting innovation
February 2013
Picture this: 3DPartFinder™ (3DSemantix), a search engine that does for parts what Google does with text; the Radiation-Detecting Speedbump (Bubble Technology Industries Inc.), a radiation detector concealed inside a speedbump to sense the presence of illicit radioactive materials; and JACO (Kinova), a six-axis robotic manipulator arm with a three-fingered hand controlled by various interfaces. These are not props from the latest futuristic science-fiction movie but real Canadian innovations that are being tested with the help of the Government of Canada through its Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP).
Launched in 2010 to bolster innovation and promote economic growth, the CICP provides Canadian innovators with the opportunity to sell their pre-commercial goods and services through a competitive procurement process to the federal government, get feedback on the use of their new goods and services in an operational setting, and enter the marketplace with a successful application. The CICP is led by the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) at Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), whose mandate is to help small and medium enterprises access government procurement opportunities.
How it works
The CICP includes a series of Calls for Proposals and targets innovations in the priority areas of environment, safety and security, health, and enabling technologies. When a CICP Call for Proposals closes, submissions are evaluated to establish a pool of pre-qualified proposals. PWGSC seeks a match with a testing department for each pre-qualified proposal's innovation. If a good fit is found between an innovation and a testing department, PWGSC will negotiate a contract with the selected company to test the innovation, though no contract award is guaranteed.
The government also organizes and participates in Canada-wide events and trade shows so that Canadian businesses from all regions can showcase their innovative concepts to federal representatives.
The CICP also gives the opportunity to federal departments to find innovations not yet available in the marketplace to fill specific challenges and needs, to test and use the latest Canadian innovations, and to promote innovation and the development of Canadian businesses. Supporting innovation will allow Canadian innovators to grow their businesses and create additional high-value jobs, building the conditions necessary for the continued success of businesses that are the foundation of Canada's prosperity.
The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, with (from left to right) Captain Anthony Patterson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Virtual Marine Technology (VMT); Kevin Tomsett, Superintendent of Canadian Coast Guard Stations; Given Davies, VMT; and Captain Glenn Ormiston, during a visit to Virtual Marine Technology on June 27, 2012, to announce a contract under the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program to test VTM's innovation, the Mission Quest Search and Rescue Simulator.
The Aeryon Scout Unmanned Aerial System from Aeryon Labs Inc.—an instantly deployable and operable micro remotely operated vehicle for surveillance, reconnaissance and inspection, with easy-to-use touch-screen, map-based controls.Results
The first Call for Proposals closed in November 2010. From that first round, a total of 25 innovators out of the 27 that made the pre-qualified pool were awarded contracts with the Government of Canada. The second Call for Proposals closed in August 2011, and a total of 37 innovators made the pre-qualified pool. To date, 28 innovators from the pool have been awarded contracts, while the remaining innovators are in the process of finding a suitable match. The third Call closed in April 2012, and 3 out of the 20 pre-qualified innovators have already signed contracts.
The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, is joined by representatives from some of the companies whose successful innovations were a part of the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program announcement made in Ottawa in February 2012.
As of today, in the first two rounds of Calls for Proposals, a total of 53 innovators out of the 64 that pre-qualified have been awarded contracts to test their innovations under the CICP; 10 from the Western and Pacific Regions, 10 from the Atlantic Region, 13 from Quebec and 20 from Ontario.
Accolades
The success of the CICP has been recognized at both the national and international levels. In May 2011, the program received the Open Text Award for Public Sector Leadership in Advanced Technology from the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance, and the CICP was granted the Environmental Recognition Team Award from the Canadian Institute for Procurement and Materiel Management in May 2012. The program was a finalist for the Institute of Public Administration of Canada 2012 Award for Innovative Management, and for the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management 2012 International Innovations Awards, under the Innovations in Government Services and Programmes category.
The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of PWGSC and Minister for Status of Women, with Mr. Jacques Gourde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of PWGSC, for Official Languages and for the Economic Development Agency for the Regions of Quebec, at the announcement of the successful innovations from the second round of the CICP in Ottawa, in February 2012.
The future
To build on the early success of the program, Economic Action Plan 2012 allocated an additional $95 million over three years, starting in 2013-14. Funding of $40 million per year will also be allocated thereafter to make the CICP permanent. The permanent program will include an additional military procurement component.
The fourth Call for Proposals is expected to be launched during 2013. For more details on the program, please visit the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program website.
- Date modified: