Applications sought for Innovation Superclusters

Parliamentary Secretary David Lametti has announced the opening of applications for one of the federal government’s biggest funding initiatives.

The Innovation Superclusters Initiative will provide $950 million to “jumpstart innovation” for up to five applicants across the country. Lametti, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of innovation, science and economic development, noted that the hope is to create new hubs for research, development, and “transformative change.”

“This isn’t just the natural evolution of a market. This is gamechanging development in an area that creates a new Silicon Valley, a new Tel Aviv, in some area,” Lametti said, pointing to agriculture and agri-food business as a potential area for Saskatchewan.

“We’re hoping to put these superclusters on the map — or quite the opposite, hoping these superclusters put these areas or collaborations on the map,” he said.

According to Lametti, a successful application will have a strong “consortium” of large and small businesses as well as support from post-secondary institutions. Among other official criteria, the level of “creative economic ambition” would be a key factor in choosing successful applicants, he said.

The official announcement of the initiative came in Ottawa earlier this week, but many groups already had an idea it was coming due to the federal budget. Wes Jickling, the president and CEO of Innovation Saskatchewan, said he’s already been in talks with organizations in the province to put together an application in the agriculture sector.