April 24, 2018 – – Sophia the Humanoid Robot, Canadarm, smart cities, autonomous vehicles, robotics and many more captivating innovations to be featured at Discovery 2018
TORONTO, April 24, 2018 - Ontario Centres of Excellence’s (OCE’s) award-winning Discovery conference returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building on April 30-May 1. Celebrating 13 years of bold, new ideas, the annual event is a hotly anticipated showcase of the best that innovators in Ontario, Canada, and the international community have to offer.
“Year after year, entrepreneurs, leading industry experts, and thought leaders from Ontario and around the world come to OCE’s Discovery conference to highlight and celebrate the best in innovation,” said Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO, OCE. “Discovery demonstrates how globally competitive Ontario’s thriving innovation ecosystem truly is, as we bring together entrepreneurs, industry, academia, investors, start-ups, international trade experts, and government to share ideas, invest, network and do business on the show floor.”
Discovery’s show floor is packed with over 500 exhibitors from the Ontario and global innovation ecosystems in a wide variety of tech sectors, as well as exciting and informative panels with local and international guest experts. Featured at the conference this year are some of the latest developments in robotics, including global media sensation Sophia the Humanoid Robot, an aerospace zone, the legendary Canadarm from the Space Shuttle, developments in the world of connected and autonomous vehicles and advanced mobility, captivating cutting-edge technology in the WOW Zone, as well as the latest in healthtech, cleantech, wearable technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR).
“Discovery is the perfect stage for Ontario’s most talented people to display their big ideas and remarkable innovations,” said Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science. “Over the course of two days we will see how homegrown innovations in areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence and aerospace will help shape our future and build a better more prosperous province.”
Discovery 2018 will feature two main-stage keynote addresses:
On April 30, appearing for the first time in Canada, Sophia the Humanoid Robot will address the audience and showcase her abilities to interact with humans in a profoundly personal way. She will be joined on stage by her creator, Dr. David Hanson, founder and CEO of Hanson Robotics.
On May 1, Megan Smith, CEO of shift7, former Chief Technology Officer of the United States and former vice president of New Business Development at Google, will address how things like AI, 5G, broadband and data can drive economic growth, thoughtful public policy and a more inclusive society.
“Discovery is a place where we see how transformative technologies will change how we live and work,” said Steven Del Duca, Minister of Economic Development and Growth. “It is truly a window to the future on how innovative ideas and products will contribute to a more prosperous Ontario.”
OCE is also excited to feature panel discussions with some of Canada’s leading entrepreneurs and experts, including sessions on:
Discovery also provides students, job seekers, young entrepreneurs, and start-ups with opportunities to network and interact with experts, investors, potential partners, and employers. This includes:
- Meet an Investor/Ask an Expert Sessions, where attendees can meet one-on-one with investors, experts, entrepreneurs, innovation agents, and professional services specialists.
- B2B Zone, where the conference will facilitate meetings between large corporations and start-ups and scale-ups.
- B2G Zone, where the conference will facilitate meetings between businesses and government.
Discovery will also highlight Ontario-based companies showcasing their accessibility/assistive-focused innovations in the Accessibility Innovation Showcase and companies exhibiting social innovations happening around Ontario in the Social Enterprise Zone.
Canada’s leading innovation conference and trade show will also hold three pitch competitions featuring some of Ontario’s brightest entrepreneurs:
Given the pace of change in today’s dynamic innovation ecosystem, and advancements in technology, Discovery is the ideal place to get a glimpse of what’s next. It also promotes the exchange of ideas, facilitates collaborations, and sparks new ideas to solve business and societal challenges. With so many great minds in one place, Discovery showcases Ontario as a leader in the global innovation ecosystem.
Named Canada’s Best Trade Show in 2010, 2011, 2016, and 2017, OCE’s Discovery is Canada’s premier innovation showcase. It brings together the best and brightest minds in industry, academia, investment and government to showcase leading-edge technologies, best practices and research in the areas of energy, fintech, cleantech, the environment, advanced health, digital media, information and communication technologies and advanced manufacturing. The annual conference and showcase attracts more than 3,600 attendees and over 500 exhibitors.
For more on Discovery, visit www.ocediscovery.com
About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc.
OCE drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research across key market sectors to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario's global competitiveness. In doing this, OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario's industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, investors and governments. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices and research, OCE invests in sectors such as advanced health, digital media and information communications, advanced manufacturing and materials, and cleantech including energy, environment and water. OCE is a key partner in delivering Ontario's Innovation Agenda as a member of the province's Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE). Funded by the Government of Ontario, the ONE is made up of regional and sector-focused organizations and helps Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their company and create jobs.
Media Contact:
Andrew Robertson
Manager, Media Relations
t: 416.861.1092 x 1092
andrew.robertson@oce-ontario.org
January 25, 2018 – Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science – Building Digital Infrastructure in Ontario to Develop New Tech Products
Province’s Investment Will Grow Digital Economy, Create Jobs
Ontario is building the digital infrastructure needed to help tech companies develop new products in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and advanced manufacturing while creating more than 3,400 jobs.
Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science, was in Ottawa today to announce Ontario's investment in the Next-Generation Network Program (NGNP) in partnership with the Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks, and the Ontario Centres of Excellence. Through this project, a high-speed network of computers will be built to connect Ontario's Regional Innovation Centres with industry and academia through cloud infrastructure, allowing them all to share resources and high-level services remotely.
This investment will allow small- and medium-sized enterprises, government and post-secondary institutions from across the province to develop, test and demonstrate new technologies, software and services to help bridge the gap between research and commercialization. Moving towards the next-generation network will generate value for consumers and help businesses in Ontario innovate faster and compete globally.
Supporting research and innovation is part of Ontario's plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.
Quick Facts
- Ontario is investing $63 million in the Next-Generation Network Program (NGNP) in partnership with the Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks and the Ontario Centres of Excellence.
- The Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN) is a not-for-profit organization made up of industry, academic and research leaders and focused on the commercialization of next-generation communications solutions. It is a consortium of industry, academic and research leaders, including Bell Canada, Cisco, EXFO, Huawei, Invest Ottawa, Juniper Networks, Mitel, Nokia, Ribbon Communications, Rogers, TELUS, and Wind River.
- Next-generation networks are software-controlled platforms that significantly improve bandwidth and allow for seamless connectivity between all communications technologies.
- The investment will support CENGN’s Cloud Expansion Project, which will connect 18 innovation centres across Ontario to provide small- and medium-sized enterprises with access to a testbed with advanced networking capabilities. The program will be administered by the Ontario Centres for Excellence (OCE).
- The NGNP will collaborate with post-secondary institutions to develop technology solutions and provide opportunities for graduate and post-doctoral students to be trained in new technologies. It will connect researchers with leading players in the industry who will guide their work and steer it towards real-world application and commercialization.
- This investment in next-generation networks is part of a package of investments to accelerate the development and adoption of transformative technologies including artificial intelligence, 5G wireless technologies, connected and autonomous vehicles, big data analytics, advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity.
Additional Resources
Quotes
“This ground-breaking initiative will help Ontario's businesses leverage advanced technologies, turning innovative ideas into next-generation products they can take to global markets. Our province is already a leader when it comes to innovative technologies, and this will further cement Ontario's leadership by giving companies the tools they need to transform society and improve lives.”
Reza Moridi
Minister of Research, Innovation and Science
“This investment supports critical infrastructure for the economy of the future. It will help our tech companies develop new products, create jobs and compete globally, strengthening Ontario’s position as a leading centre of technology.”
Steven Del Duca
Minister of Economic Development and Growth
January 2, 2018 – – Ontario investing in made-in-Ontario Health Technologies
12 Innovative Ontario Projects will Improve Patient Care at Home and in the Community
The province is improving patient care through cutting-edge, made-in-Ontario health technology that will help bring better care closer to home.
Ontario is providing grants for 12 new projects through the Health Technologies Fund, which supports the development of Ontario-based health technologies that improve care for people, boost the impact of investments in health innovation and grow health innovation companies. Projects include:
- A platform that allows people with upper body mobility injuries to access smart devices, computers, wheelchair driving controls, and more.
- A portable device that detects brain bleeds in traumatic brain injury patients.
- A new digital tool that will shorten the time patients need to spend in the hospital following heart surgery by providing high-quality monitoring from home
This is the second round of Health Technologies Fund investments by Ontario this year. The 2017-18 grants are focused on market-ready projects that were selected for their potential to improve patient outcomes and bring value to the health care system.
Investing in innovative health technologies that help patients receive care closer to home is part of Ontario's plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.
Quick Facts
- Twelve grants were awarded ranging from about $294,000 to $500,000 each, totalling $5.5 million.
- The $20-million Health Technologies Fund is developed and funded by the Office of the Chief Health Innovation Strategist (OCHIS) and administered by the Ontario Centres of Excellence.
- Each Health Innovation Team includes at least one provider of publicly funded health care services and at least one technology company with a research and development or manufacturing presence in Ontario.
- The next call for applications for the Health Technologies Fund will be announced in early 2018.
Additional Resources
Quotes
“Through the Health Technologies Fund, we are accelerating the development of new tools that address health system challenges and improve patient care. With this program, we are investing in our economy and the future of our health care system by supporting made-in-Ontario technologies.”
Dr. Eric Hoskins
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
“Ontario has a wealth of innovators looking to connect with clinicians and patients to find new ways of delivering better care, closer to home. The job of my office, and the purpose of the Health Technologies Fund, is to help spark that demand-driven innovation and get it embedded into our health system quickly. The fund is part of our value-based innovation framework that has three clear goals: improve patient outcomes, optimize the impact of our investment in health innovation and scale promising Ontario companies.”
William Charnetski
Chief Health Innovation Strategist for Ontario
Source: Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care