Trois-Rivières, Quebec, April 3, 2007 The Honourable
Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of
Canada Economic Development, today announced that the Technopole
Vallée du Saint-Maurice has been awarded $500,400 in non-repayable funding
to continue carrying out its mission.
The Technopole Vallée du Saint-Maurice seeks to promote and support
technological innovation and new business practices among enterprises. In this
way, the organization is able to foster the economic development of the Mauricie
region by supporting the development and competitiveness of innovative
enterprises, encouraging networking among innovation stakeholders, furthering
the development of regional technology clusters and promoting innovation at the
local level.
"Canada's new government is proud to be a partner of the Technopole Vallée
du Saint-Maurice. Canada Economic Development has provided a total
of $1,673,723 to the Technopole to date, a fruitful partnership when one
considers that this organization has always succeeded in meeting, if not
surpassing, its performance goals. Since its creation, the Technopole has
guided numerous promoters through some 158 innovation projects, making it a
true hub of support for technological innovation in the Mauricie," stated
Minister Blackburn.
The Technopole Vallée du Saint-Maurice uses a management and control
system modelled on the private sector, more specifically on firms that provide
professional services to small and medium-sized enterprises. Accordingly, about
90% of the organization's operating costs are directly related to the delivery
of services to these enterprises.
Over the years, the Technopole has succeeded in taking its place
within a vast network of local, provincial, national and international support
organizations for technology-based enterprises. As such, the organization is now
able to provide customized guidance services to its business clients and help
further their growth by putting them in contact with various specialized
resources.
"The Technopole Vallée du Saint-Maurice is a specialized development
tool serving the entire Mauricie region. This support from
Canada Economic Development is essential in that it gives us the means
we need to step up our efforts to develop technological innovation in the
region. Our growth curve is the same as that of an SME and now, after seven
proud years of existence, we are ready to take flight with vision, dynamism and
confidence," concluded the organization's President and Director General,
Francine Bonicalzi.
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Sources:
Lyne MontpellierCommunicationsCanada Economic DevelopmentTel.:
819-371-5182 or 1-800-567-8637E-mail: lyne.montpellier@dec-ced.gc.ca
Roxane MarchandPress SecretaryOffice of the Honourable Jean-Pierre
BlackburnCanada Economic Development Tel.: 819-953-5646Cell.:
613-816-5094E-mail: roxane.marchand@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
