Competition Results

2018 Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) program competition.

The Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR) program bridges the gap between research and commercialization. The program matches clusters of research expertise with the business community to share the knowledge and resources that bring innovative products and processes to market faster. Centres advance research and facilitate commercialization within priority areas for the Government of Canada.

Centres adopt different models to best serve the commercialization needs of their sector, including acting as investors, incubators or service providers. With revenue sources that range from fee-for service and membership fees to product sales, royalties and equity in start-up companies, each CECR has a mandate to become self-sustaining while maximizing economic impact for its partners.

Results

The 2018 CECR competition resulted in five applicants being awarded funding totaling $79.8 million over five years (2018-2023)*:

Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine - CCRM ($15 million)
Headquarters: Toronto, ON

CCRM overcomes two major bottlenecks in RM commercialization: a dearth of early stage capital and access to centralized research infrastructure. CCRM provides small- and medium-sized enterprises, large multinationals and emerging biotechnology companies with a single entry point for accessing Canada-wide RM expertise and infrastructure. CCRM’s industry network includes around 100 Canadian and international RM companies that can access a fully-resourced, 40,000 ft² (~4,000 m²) facility in the MaRS Centre in Toronto that houses a large, fully-equipped containment level 2 (CL2) laboratory, and a stand-alone 14,000 ft² (~1,300 m²) good manufacturing practices (GMP) facility, to be operational in 2018.

CCRM is capitalizing on its extensive pipeline of intellectual property to bundle promising technologies into 10 new companies that are strategic and leverage expertise, funding and excellent science.

Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization – CPDC ($10.4 million)
Headquarters: Hamilton, ON

*(Note: this centre will receive its funding over a period of four years.)

The Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC) works collaboratively with industry and academic partners to provide the expertise and infrastructure needed to develop and manufacture molecular imaging probes. An important part of Canada’s health system, CPDC provides a reliable, daily supply of imaging probes to hospitals and leading research teams. CPDC’s areas of expertise include pre-clinical development of new probes, regulatory affairs, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and maintaining the systems and infrastructure needed to achieve Health Canada approval for clinical trials and the commercialization of innovative new products.

Commercialization of Research - Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer – IRICoR ($25 million)
Headquarters: Montreal, QC

As a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2008 by the Université de Montréal, IRICoR was created to fill a gap in Canada’s innovation landscape by supporting academic research projects in oncology throughout the DD process toward commercialization.

With the business and scientific experience it has accumulated to date, its extensive network of renowned Canadian and international collaborators, and its privileged access to Canada’s premier DD chain expertise and infrastructure at Université de Montréal’s Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, IRICoR can respond rapidly and effectively to major changes in the life sciences sector. The Centre provides a turnkey solution for academics and small biotechs across Canada and abroad to transform research results into novel therapies. Through partnerships with pharma companies and creation of spin-off companies, IRICoR maximizes the economic impact of each innovative project.

Leading Operational Observations and Knowledge for the North – LOOKNorth ($9.9 million)
Headquarters: St. John's, N.L.

As a Northern nation, Canada contains some of the world’s most pristine and fragile ecosystems. There is an urgent need for accurate and continuous environmental monitoring to ensure responsible, sustainable land/water use management and safe operations in a changing global climate system.

Canada has developed extensive internationally recognized expertise in remote sensing. By networking, advancing and promoting that expertise, Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with innovative satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies and services are poised to capture an emerging market of well over $1 billion. Additionally, remote sensing technologies/services can supplement indigenous traditional knowledge to help understand environmental conditions, especially in remote or challenging areas with sparse infrastructure; delivering remote sensing services in Northern communities has the potential to build local capacity and create significant socio-economic benefits in and for Canada’s North.

Quebec Consortium for Industrial Research and Innovation in Medical Technology - MEDTEQ ($19.5 million)
Headquarters: Montreal, QC

As the Quebec Consortium for Industrial Research and Innovation in Medical Technology, MEDTEQ accelerates the development of innovative technological solutions to improve patients’ health and quality of life by mobilising Canadian talents. Bringing together the key players in healthcare and innovation allows them and their partners, to offer Canadians access to novel solutions. Clinicians, researchers, health institutions, industry and entrepreneurs work together to offer unique solutions in connected health, imaging and simulation, human performance and personalized health. Not only do these collaborations bring forward new technologies, but they also allow them to accelerate their entry on the market and showcase the Canadian expertise on an international level.