Gatineau, Quebec, February 28, 2008 – Acting on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of Canada Economic Development, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today announced that the firm Searidge Technologies will receive $150,000 in repayable funding to promote its ground surveillance products to airports and see to their commercialization on Canadian and U.S. markets.
"This initiative will enable Searidge Technologies to increase its sales, develop new markets in a structured manner and pursue its growth and development. With the exceptional know-how it has developed in the field of airport safety, this enterprise is a boon for the community as a whole. Indeed, it is a known fact that high-technology firms generate quality jobs, a key advantage for any region. With this project, Searidge Technologies expects to create six new jobs on top of its seventeen existing positions," stated Minister Cannon.
The National Research Council of Canada, through its Industrial Research Assistance Program, has also lent valuable support to Searidge Technologies, most notably by providing intellectual property advice and steering the firm toward other resources of use in the development of its innovative technology. The company has also been awarded $85,000 in funding through this program to carry out its current project.
"With this support from the Government of Canada, we will be able to concentrate our efforts on making the transition from the research to the marketing stage. This financial contribution from Canada Economic Development, a key business partner for us, confirms our company's solid reputation in the field and will help reinforce the high-technology cluster in the Outaouais region," explained Moodie Cheikh, President of Searidge Technologies.
High technology is a promising niche for the Outaouais region, as are agri-processing, tourism and the transformation of value-added wood products. It is in these priority sectors that Canada Economic Development has decided to focus its development efforts by supporting projects that will have an impact on both the region's urban areas and rural belt.
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Sources:
François Bélisle
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 819-825-5260, ext. 235
E-mail: francois.belisle@dec-ced.gc.ca
Jean-Philippe Payment
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 819-953-5646
E-mail: jeanphilippe.payment@hrdsc-rhdsc.gc.ca
Karine White
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon
Tel.: 613-991-0700
E-mail: whiteka@tc.gc.ca
