Dr. Claudia Krywiak
President & CEO, Ontario Centre of Innovation
Ontario is rich in talent and discovery. The challenge is turning groundbreaking ideas into commercial success that creates jobs and economic growth.
Ontario has no shortage of ideas. The challenge is helping them succeed.
Ontario is home to some of the world’s leading researchers, entrepreneurs, and technology companies. Every year, groundbreaking discoveries emerge from our universities, colleges, research hospitals, and startups. Yet too many promising innovations struggle to reach the marketplace because commercialization requires more than great ideas, it requires collaboration, capital, talent, industry partnerships, and the right ecosystem to support growth.
As global competition intensifies and industries rapidly evolve, helping innovators scale faster has become an economic imperative. Strengthening Ontario’s competitiveness means creating stronger connections between research, industry, investors, government, and entrepreneurs so that made-in-Ontario ideas become globally competitive companies.
The Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) exists to help bridge that gap by connecting innovators with the funding, expertise, partnerships, and commercialization support needed to accelerate growth.
Innovation succeeds when researchers, entrepreneurs, industry, investors and government work together to turn ideas into impact.
Innovation rarely happens in isolation. The most successful economies create environments where businesses, researchers, investors, governments, and post-secondary institutions work together toward shared goals.
Across Ontario, collaborative programs are helping companies adopt emerging technologies, modernize operations, commercialize intellectual property, and strengthen critical sectors including advanced manufacturing, life sciences, automotive and mobility, artificial intelligence, critical technologies, and clean energy.
Through initiatives like the Critical Industrial Technologies (CIT), Digital Competence Centre (DCC), Life Sciences Innovation Fund (LSIF), Collaborate 2 Commercialize (C2C), Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), and Ready 4 Market (R4M), Ontario companies are developing next-generation technologies while creating high-value jobs and attracting private-sector investment.
At the same time, flagship events such as DiscoveryX continue to connect entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers, creating opportunities that accelerate commercialization and foster new partnerships.
Technology alone does not build a competitive economy, people do. And, as industries transform through artificial intelligence, automation, advanced manufacturing, and digital technologies, ensuring Ontario has the talent and workforce needed to support innovation is critical. Supporting skills development, entrepreneurship, commercialization, and technology adoption helps businesses remain globally competitive while creating opportunities for communities across the province.
Ontario’s continued success will depend on maintaining an innovation ecosystem where ideas can move efficiently from research to commercialization, businesses can scale with confidence, and collaboration drives long-term economic prosperity.
By investing in innovation today, Ontario is helping build a stronger, more resilient economy for generations to come.
Five Ingredients of Ontario’s Innovation Economy:
- World-class research and talent
- Strong public-private partnerships
- Access to commercialization support
- Investment in technology adoption
- Collaboration across industry, academia and government
Learn how the Ontario Centre of Innovation is helping businesses commercialize ideas, adopt technology, and grow Ontario’s innovation economy at www.oc-innovation.ca
