Gatineau, Quebec, February 5, 2010 – Acting on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Member of Parliament for Pontiac, today announced the awarding of $118,184 in repayable funding to the Gatineau firm IdéeClic.
This assistance will enable the enterprise to fine-tune and market a leading-edge computer solution for the dissemination of information to the general public via mobile devices (GPS, cellular telephones, smart phones, etc.) and interactive terminals. The solution's research and development costs were covered by the National Research Council Canada, which, through its Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC–IRAP), granted the company a maximum of $219,000 in non-repayable funding and provided it with advisory services on various technical issues and business prospects.
"The Government of Canada is investing considerable effort in helping small and medium-sized enterprises increase their capacity to engage in innovation and expand into foreign markets. IdéeClic is one such innovative company that knows how to use the results of its research and development to design and market value-added products. The economic diversification of the region depends largely on the dynamism of our entrepreneurs," stated Minister Cannon.
Specializing in the design and development of such multimedia projects as virtual exhibits, IdéeClic counts cultural, scientific, education and tourism organizations among its clients, including museums, government departments, libraries, archives and universities. The firm is looking to invest additional energy in expanding its client base and staff force by the year 2012, ultimately adding six new positions to its existing staff of 15.
"Our government adopted Canada's Economic Action Plan a year ago in response to the economic crisis that hit our country, along with the rest of the world. This large-scale measure is aimed not only at bringing about our rapid economic recovery, but also at laying the foundations for solid long-term growth and job creation. This Plan will lead to the investment of nearly $62 billion in our economy by March 2011. Supporting projects of the new economy will help prepare Canada's regions to position themselves advantageously on highly-competitive global markets," added Minister Cannon.
For more on Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.
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Sources:
François Bélisle
Communications
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 819-825-5260, ext. 235
Cell.: 819-856-3520
E-mail: francois.belisle@dec-ced.gc.ca
Simon Bachand
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 613-996-6236
E-mail: simon.bachand@dec-ced.gc.ca
Catherine Loubier
Manager of Communications
Office of the Honourable Lawrence Cannon
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Tel. : 613-995-1851
E-mail: catherine.loubier@international.gc.ca
