June 20, 2011 — Ottawa, Ontario
Today Canada and France have reaffirmed their collaborative support to small- and medium-sized enterprises. The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and OSEO have renewed a memorandum of understanding signed when Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Prime Minister François Fillon met on July 2, 2008, in Canada. Today’s signing took place at the Canadian Ambassador’s Residence in Paris and was attended by the Honourable Christian Paradis, Canadian Minister of Industry, and Eric Besson, French Minister of Industry, Energy and Digital Economy attached to the Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry.
“This is a testament to the support the NRC brings in generating economic benefits for the people of both our countries,” said John R McDougall, President of the National Research Council of Canada. “The NRC is proud to continue its strong relationship with OSEO and to further stimulate industrial growth for enterprises in Canada and in France.”
OSEO is the French government’s support program for SMEs and intermediate sized (up to 5000 full time employees) enterprises for startup growth and innovation, much like the NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program. Both organizations strive to foster technology partnering between Canadian and French firms by supporting collaborative research and development projects.
“We’re glad that the innovation support by both countries is being renewed as this represents a huge growth and competitivity accelerator for enterprises and employment”, said François Drouin, president and chief executive officer of OSEO.
The renewal of this relationship demonstrates the countries’ continued commitment to the Canada France Economic Agenda. Canada and France have long enjoyed strong relations, recognizing the role of science and technology in economic development and engagement.
