Our Partners

The Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) partners with key players in the innovation ecosystem to drive commercialization, technology transfer, and the development of highly qualified personnel. From referrals to collaboration agreements and co-investments, OCE works with its partners to make companies more innovative, facilitating increases in their growth and profitability through industry-academic collaborations.

The Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR) at the Ontario Centres of Excellence is a focal point for a growing network of regional, national, and international partnerships with commercialization and business organizations.

Funding Partners

OCE’s funding partners include:

Provincial Partners

Federal Partners

Strategic Partners

OCE has a number of strategic partnerships with organizations, formalized by Memoranda of Understanding:

Accelerator Centre for Commercialization Excellence (ACE)

Founded in 2008, ACE is a unique partnership between OCE's CCR, the University of Waterloo, and Waterloo's Accelerator Centre. ACE breaks down marketplace barriers for entrepreneurs and start-ups, providing one point of contact for expertise, services, and support spanning the entire commercialization process.
Canadian Commercialization Consortium (C³)
Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN)

CCR and CDMN entered into a collaborative agreement to provide a channel for delivery of CCR’s commercialization services across Canada.
Canadian Institute for Photonic Innovations (CIPI)

OCE has partnered with CIPI to cross-appoint Business Development staff to facilitate access to programs.
Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology Centre
Centre of Excellence in Energy Efficiency (C3E)

CCR and Quebec-based C3E collaborate in the design and delivery of services to improve the levels of technology commercialization and industrial growth in Ontario, Quebec, and Canada.
Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade – Canada (DFAIT)
The Funding Portal

OCE and the Funding Portal have forged a partnership to help support industry, academia and other stakeholders including exploring digital tools and solutions that will benefit these groups in their commercialization efforts.
IBM Canada's Centre for Research in Adaptive Systems
Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP)

OCE works collaboratively with IRAP at the regional level to facilitate the competitiveness of SMEs in Ontario.
International Commercialization Alliance (ICA)

With 48 founding members from 18 countries and a secretariat managed by CCR, the ICA aims to add value to each member country by facilitating an exchange of ideas, knowledge and lessons learned from successes and failures; and by identifying opportunities to coordinate and cooperate on global commercialization opportunities and challenges.
Invest Ottawa

OCE and Invest Ottawa (formerly OCRI) have forged a partnership to benefit up-and-coming entrepreneurs in the Ottawa region.
IP Osgoode

Partnership with Osgoode Hall Law School helps young companies protect their IP.
ISTP Canada

An alliance with ISTP Canada provides a full-time commercialization officer for OCE's CCR dedicated to connecting entrepreneurs to global markets.
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

OCE works with NSERC to deliver and fund collaborative projects, with both organizations leveraging their respective resources to foster industry-academic partnerships in Ontario. The OCE business development team assists in the delivery of the NSERC Engage program, and the partnership is further augmented through co-funding initiatives.
OMERS

OCE's collaborative agreement with OMERS will provide additional mentoring, relationship-building opportunities, potential funding and other resources to support qualified early-stage companies and entrepreneurs as they develop, commercialize and market their products and services.
PARTEQ Innovations

PARTEQ Innovations is the lead institution in the Rideau Commercialization Network, established in 2011 by the OCE Technology Transfer Program. Working with RCN, PARTEQ administers a joint Proof of Principal Program, aimed at adding value to innovative technologies created by institutional researchers across Eastern Ontario.
Social Innovation Generation at MaRS (SiG@MaRS)

OCE and SiG@MarRS have established a partnership to further social innovation in addressing social and environmental challenges, building on the recognized expertise of both organizations and facilitating cooperative action.
VeloCity at the University of Waterloo

CCR and VeloCity have launched VeloCity Boot Camp, a joint venture to support student entrepreneurs from across Canada.
Time Ventures at Simon Fraser University

Time Ventures, the incubator at Simon Fraser University, has entered into a partnership with CCR to support the best emerging companies in B.C.