Ontario Centres of Excellences' (OCE's) Social innovation Program brings together members of Ontario’s business community with not-for-profit organizations (NPOs) and social enterprises (SEs) to collaborate on projects that lead to innovative products, services and business models.

The program is designed to build new and enhance existing partnerships between Ontario industry, academia and the not-for-profit and social enterprise sectors. It is also a vehicle for academic engagement, leveraging research expertise to address social and environmental problems.

OCE helps build partnerships by hosting partnership forums in a number of focus areas to facilitate the development of project proposals. The forums create networking opportunities and help identify projects suitable for further development via an Expression of Interest (EOI). Focus areas include health improvement, sustainability and the environment, and poverty alleviation.

The program is supported by the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment (MEDTE), the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI), and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS). SiG@MaRS is a strategic partner on this initiative.