Communitech Partners With Ontario Centres of Excellence to Strengthen Corporate Innovation Program

WATERLOO REGION, ON --(Marketwired - August 12, 2015) - Communitech is strengthening its corporate innovation program through a partnership with Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) which will facilitate access to research expertise at Ontario academic institutions and additional programming available through OCE.

The Communitech corporate innovation program is designed to help Canada's largest companies improve their competitiveness through new approaches to product development, talent recruitment and organizational culture. It also acts as a bridge between enterprise companies and startups -- exposing enterprise companies to new tools and ways of thinking, and providing startups opportunities to obtain their first enterprise customer.

"The partnership with OCE provides a new dimension to our corporate innovation program," said Iain Klugman, CEO of Communitech, "providing our partners access to world-leading research in specific areas of need."

OCE will work with Communitech's corporate partners to identify and support collaboration with colleges, universities and research hospitals aimed at developing new technologies for world markets. Eligible and qualified projects can tap into OCE's industry-academic and commercialization funding programs including the Collaboration Voucher Program and the Market Readiness program, among others.

"We're excited to deepen our partnership with Communitech and to establish further academic-industry partnerships that can help commercialize the technical innovations coming out of Ontario academic institutions," added Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO of OCE.

The Honourable Reza Moridi, Minister of Research and Innovation highlighted that "This new partnership between OCE and Communitech will give businesses easier access to the exceptional research and development expertise at our academic institutions; in order to become globally competitive. This is another great example of how collaboration in Ontario will harness innovation to grow our economy and create jobs."

Communitech currently works with 11 corporate partners, including companies like TD Bank, Canon Canada, Canadian Tire, Manulife and Deloitte to help them improve productivity and access technology being developed in the Toronto-Waterloo corridor. More programs and partners will be announced soon as Communitech works to build the world's leading corporate innovation program.

About Communitech

Communitech launched in 1997 when a group of scrappy Waterloo Region entrepreneurs came together in search of more tech talent, better support for companies and global recognition for the tech sector. Today, Communitech is an innovation centre that supports a community of more than 1,000 tech companies-from startups to rapidly-growing mid-sized companies and large global players. A member of the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs, which is funded by the Ontario Government, Communitech helps tech companies start, grow and succeed.

About Ontario Centres of Excellence

Ontario Centres of Excellence (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 government ministries. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices and research, OCE invests in sectors such as advanced health, information and communications technology, digital media, advanced materials and manufacturing, agri-food, aerospace, transportation, energy, and the environment including water and mining. 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 and industry rapidly grow their company and create jobs.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

For more information please contact:

Chris Plunkett
Director of External Relations
519.497-0742
chris.plunkett@communitech.ca