Innovation Superclusters Initiative
What’s a supercluster?
Superclusters are dense areas of business activity characterized by their large number of companies, post-secondary and research institutions. These networks foster economic growth and job creation by giving rise to strong business partnerships, long-term objectives and competitive advantages. In short, they make innovation happen.
Canada’s Superclusters Initiative
Canada’s Innovation Superclusters Initiative pulls together technology clusters across the country into industry-led consortiums. Each supercluster focuses on technology innovation in the areas of ocean sciences, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, protein industry, and digital technology.
The initiative's goal is to solve complex challenges, drive economic growth, develop and attract top talent, and advance world-leading research and innovation. The federal government has provided $30 million to date for five superclusters in the $950-million flagship innovation program with an ambitious goal of adding tens of thousands of new jobs and growing the economy by tens of billions of dollars by 2028.
Digital technology supercluster
GDP impact: $5B over 10 years
Job creation: 13,500 jobs over 10 years
Using virtual, mixed, and augmented reality, data, and quantum computing to solve productivity, health, and sustainability challenges. With the launch of the COVID-19 program, $60 million earmarked from the supercluster’s budget of $153 million has gone to public health-protecting digital projects.
Partners include:
Protein industries supercluster
GDP impact: $50B over 10 years
Job creation: 50,000 jobs over 10 years
Evolving agricultural production with plant genomics and novel processing.
Partners include:
Next generation manufacturing supercluster
GDP impact: $13.5B over 10 years
Job creation: 13,500 jobs over 10 years
Designing next-generation manufacturing companies by adopting advanced processes and developing and deploying new technologies like robotics and 3D printing.
Since the launch of its COVID-19 Response program in March, NGen has funded 20 projects valued at over $54 million.
Partners include:
AI-powered supply chains supercluster (scale.ai)
GDP impact: $16.5B over 10 years
Job creation: 16,000 jobs over 10 years
Building the supply chains of the future using artificial intelligence and robotic technologies.
Partners include:
Ocean supercluster
GDP impact: $14B over 10 years
Job creation: 3,000 jobs over 10 years
Solving global challenges like how to meet energy demands through marine renewable energy, fisheries, aquaculture, oil and gas, defence, shipbuilding, and transportation.
Check out the recently announced $29M Ocean Aware project.
Partners include:
