OCE recently held its annual general meeting and Minister of Economic Development and Innovation Brad Duguid was on hand to say a few words about OCE’s success in 2011/12. This post is a summary of his remarks from October 23, 2012.

By Brad Duguid

I recently attended the World Congress on Information Technology in Montreal where I learned there is a lot of excitement about what’s happening here in Ontario on the innovation front.

And Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) has been a pivotal part of that success.

This past year alone, OCE helped launch 315 companies, helped create or sustain 1,784 jobs and established 36 new technology licences while attracting millions of dollars in capital investments and leveraging millions more from its industry partners.

I had the privilege of attending the Discovery conference last year for the first time and I have to say I was blown away. I thought it was a great reflection of the type of innovation and collaboration that we are seeing across Ontario.

It may be obvious, but I believe the focus on innovation is key to the future success of Ontario’s economy and our future competitiveness. It’s how we can remain globally competitive, attract new business and new investment to the province, and create globally competitive companies.

That was precisely what Premier McGuinty had in mind when he set us on this course in launching Ontario’s Innovation Agenda nearly 10 years ago. Without that vision and that commitment to moving Ontario forward, we would not have the talent and workforce we need to compete in that fiercely competitive global economy.

His vision has given Ontario the leadership and confidence to strive to be a global innovation leader. To be the best at growing new knowledge, and turning ideas into jobs and high-growth industries that will fuel our economy.

That’s why this government strongly supports the Ontario Network of Excellence – so that new research and technology discoveries could connect with the resources they need for successful commercialization.

OCE’s work is helping to get great ideas out of research labs and into the marketplace and ensures Ontario gets the most from its investments in research while making it easier for industry to partner with our world-class researchers.

Twitter: @BradDuguid, @OntInnovation, @OntEconomy
Blog: http://www.mri.gov.on.ca/blog