For immediate release
WATERLOO, Ontario, February 3, 2012 — Peter Braid, Member of Parliament (Kitchener—Waterloo), on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, today announced the pre-qualification of Aeryon Labs, Inc.’s innovation, the Aeryon Scout micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), in the second round of the Government of Canada’s Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP). Through this pilot program, the Government of Canada is helping Canadian businesses get their innovative products and services from the lab to the marketplace.
“Our government is focused on creating conditions to promote jobs and economic growth,” said Minister Ambrose. “That is why we’re committed to supporting Canadian entrepreneurs who help to keep the Canadian economy moving.”
“Supporting Canada’s economy is our number one priority, and today’s announcement is great news for the workers at Aeryon Labs, Inc. said MP Braid. “Our Government is putting its support behind their innovation designed right here in Waterloo and bringing them one step closer in moving their innovations into domestic and international markets.”
Aeryon Labs Inc.’s innovation, the Aeryon Scout micro-UAV, is designed to be flown by anyone with only a few minutes of training through simple point-and-click, map-based navigation and automated flight safety features. From a small case or backpack, the Scout can be assembled in seconds without tools and operates in extreme weather and environments. With its small size and advanced capabilities, the Aeryon Scout is targeted at a range of civilian and military applications in aerial imaging and intelligence.
“This is a vote of confidence from the Government of Canada to small enterprises and a boost to our local economy. This program is great news for us,” said Chuck Lownie, VP Sales, Aeryon Labs.
The CICP is a $40-million pilot program launched as part of the Economic Action Plan. Successful companies may see their pre-commercial products and services tested within government operations, and will be given relevant feedback from participating departments.
CICP demonstrates the Government of Canada’s commitment to building the jobs and industries of the future by creating the conditions for continued success of industries that are the foundation of Canada’s prosperity.
In total, 27 innovations from Canadian companies pre-qualified for funding under the CICP’s first round and 36 innovations under the second round.
The CICP is managed by PWGSC’s Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, whose mandate is to improve accessibility to government procurement opportunities for small and medium enterprises. Launched as part of the Government of Canada’s Budget 2010, the CICP is a new initiative to promote Canada’s economic growth.
For the complete list of the successful innovations, please refer to the backgrounder.
For more information, please visit buyandsell.gc.ca/innovation or look for upcoming Calls for Proposals on www.merx.com. You can also contact the CICP team by email at innovation@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca or via the toll-free line at 1-800-811-1148.
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Ce texte est également disponible en français.
For more information, media may contact:
Michelle Bakos
Office of the Honourable Rona Ambrose
819-997-5421
Media Relations
Public Works and Government Services Canada
819-956-2315
PWGSC news releases are also available on our Internet site at http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/medias-media/index-eng.html.
BACKGROUNGER
Kickstart / Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program
Launched in 2010, the Kickstart / Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program initiative (CICP) is a $40-million pilot program that is a part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to promote Canada’s economic growth and support entrepreneurs.
As part of the Economic Action Plan, Kickstart was created to bolster innovation in Canada’s business sector, was designed to help companies bridge the pre-commercialization gap for their innovative products and services by:
- awarding contracts to entrepreneurs with pre-commercial innovations through an open, transparent, competitive and fair procurement process;
- testing products or services and providing feedback to entrepreneurs on their performance;
- providing innovators with the opportunity to enter the marketplace with a successful application of their new products and services; and
- providing information on how to do business with the Government of Canada.
Kickstart targets innovations in four priority areas:
- environment;
- safety and security;
- health; and
- enabling technologies.
Kickstart has two complementary components. The first identifies Canadian innovations to test within federal operations in order to support businesses as they move their innovations to commercialization. The second builds on current efforts by the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) to improve small and medium enterprises’ (SME) access to federal procurement activities, and enables companies to showcase innovative products and services to potential government users.
Proposals related to the opportunity to test innovative products and services are accepted through competitive Calls for Proposals. The first round of Calls for Proposals was successfully announced in October 2010, and the second was announced in July 2011.
Public Works and Governments Services Canada (PWGSC) continues to work with all stakeholders to ensure that SMEs receive the vital government support needed to thrive in today’s evolving economy.
OSME, through its network of headquarter operations and six regional offices, assists SMEs as they navigate through the government procurement system. It is strengthening access to government business for SMEs by collaborating with industry associations and individual businesses on training, providing information, developing support tools, and recommending procurement policy changes. OSME is also working with SME organizations to identify and pursue opportunities that encourage the introduction of innovative products and services to the marketplace.
First Round of Calls for Proposals
On February 4, 2011, the Innovation Selection Committee (ISC), in the final stage of evaluation of the CICP competitive procurement process, met to validate the ranking of proposals based on the independent reviews of the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP). Members of the ISC, 70 per cent of whom are from the private sector, were chosen based on their experience in investment and entrepreneurship, knowledge of innovation and commercialization trends, and knowledge of international business practices.
In March 2011, 19 innovations were announced as part of the first round of the CICP. An additional eight innovations were subsequently announced in July for a total of 27 innovations selected in the first round.
To date 12 first round innovators have been awarded contracts:
2G Robotics, Waterloo, Ontario; Amika Corporation, Ottawa, Ontario; Breviro Caviar Inc., Pennfield, New Brunswick; CTV Corp., Sainte-Julie, Quebec; DataGardens, Edmonton, Alberta; Edgewater Computer Systems Inc., Ottawa, Ontario; ERACTS Inc., Toronto, Ontario; Inversa Systems, Fredericton, New Brunswick; LED Roadway Lighting Ltd., Halifax, Nova Scotia; MDA Systems Ltd., Richmond, British Columbia; Sage Data Solutions Inc., Ottawa, Ontario; Virtual Marine Technology Inc., St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Victoria, British Columbia.
Second Round of Calls for Proposals
On November 9, 2011, the ISC, in the final stage of evaluation of the CICP competitive procurement process, met to validate the ranking of proposals based on the independent reviews of NRC-IRAP.
There are now 35 pre-qualified Canadian innovators that form a part of the CICP’s second round:
3833364 Canada Inc, Gatineau, Québec; Adventure Lights Inc., Beaconsfield, Québec; Aeryon Labs, Inc., Waterloo, Ontario; Akoostix Inc. of Nova Scotia, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Alain Coulombe, Montréal, Québec; Aurora Control Technologies Inc, North Vancouver, British Columbia; B-Temia Inc., Québec, Québec; Ballard Power Systems Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia; Biopeak Corporation, Kanata, Ontario; CDVI Americas, Laval, Québec; Clinemetrica Inc., Westmount, Québec; Desiree Stockermans, Great Village, Nova Scotia; Edgewater Computer Systems, Inc, Ottawa, Ontario; IntelliView Technologies Inc., Calgary, Alberta; LBi - Lab_Bell inc., Trois-Rivières, Québec; MANTECH INC., Guelph, Ontario; Mawashi Protective Clothing Inc., Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec; Morgan Solar Inc., Toronto, Ontario; National Optics Institute, Québec, Québec; OnLogics, Ottawa, Ontario; Oracle Telecomputing Inc, Carleton Place, Ontario; Plurilock Security Solutions Inc., Victoria, British Columbia; Privacy Analytics Inc, Ottawa, Ontario; Pro-Oceanus Systems Incorporated, Bridgewater, Nova Scotia; QSDM Inc., Mississauga, Ontario; Reach Technologies Inc., Victoria, British Columbia; Resolution Optics, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Rheolution inc., Montréal, Québec; Scotia Weather Services Incorporated, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; SunCentral Inc., Richmond, British Columbia; Solana Networks Inc., Nepean, Ontario; Tektrap System Inc, Gatineau, Québec; Temporal Power Ltd., Mississauga, Ontario; Wedge Networks, Calgary, Alberta; Xiphos Systems Corporation, Montreal, Québec.
For descriptions of the innovations:
https://buyandsell.gc.ca/initiatives-and-programs/canadian-innovation-commercialization-program-cicp/pre-qualified-innovations#5
PWGSC will be working with government departments to match innovations with the right test departments, and will be entering into negotiations with the selected companies to put contracts in place to test their innovations, should the right department be found. Marking the first sale for these innovations, these contracts will also facilitate Canadian companies in moving their innovations into domestic and international markets by having the Government of Canada as a first client “reference.”
