CFI and Navigator Partner with eCampusOntario’s OCIP to Boost R&D in Ontario
eCampusOntario builds Ontario’s innovation capacity by supporting public-private partnerships centred on postsecondary institution research and development
TORONTO, ON — In a groundbreaking partnership aimed at driving innovation and research in Ontario, Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) with their Navigator tool and eCampusOntario’s Ontario Collaborative Innovation Platform (OCIP) have announced a strategic collaboration.
At the heart of this collaboration is a shared vision to provide businesses in Ontario with streamlined access to top-tier research and development (R&D) facilities across post-secondary institutions. This partnership is poised to evolve the way businesses approach and execute research and development.
“We are at a pivotal moment in Canada’s innovation journey,” says Robert Luke, CEO of eCampusOntario. “This collaboration is our answer to a call to action by Innovation leaders. By combining CFI’s robust Navigator of state-of-the-art research facilities and OCIP’s expertise in matching businesses with research professionals, we’re creating “no wrong door” to the innovation ecosystem, and helping to bridge the gap between business challenges and research solutions. Together, we are set to redefine the R&D landscape in Ontario and beyond.”
Faculty members of eCampusOntario’s 53 member institutions will have the opportunity to align their research interests with real-world business challenges, ensuring that academic pursuits have tangible, societal, and economic impacts. For learners, this collaboration provides a chance to be part of cutting-edge research projects, enhancing their learning experience and making them industry-ready.
“Our new collaboration with eCampusOntario will help foster a more robust innovation ecosystem in Ontario,” says Roseann O’Reilly Runte, President and CEO of the CFI. “Providing easy access to R&D expertise and cutting-edge research infrastructure will allow Canadian businesses and innovators to succeed locally in a globally competitive marketplace.”
By leveraging the vast network of OCIP’s collaborations with Ontario’s colleges, universities, and Indigenous Institutes, and CFI’s commitment to enhancing the capability of Canadian research entities, businesses are now positioned to benefit from an extensive range of expertise and resources.
About the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Research Facilities Navigator
With a bold, future-looking mandate, the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) equips researchers to be global leaders in their field and to respond to emerging challenges. The CFI’s investments in state-of-the-art tools, instruments, and facilities underpin both curiosity- and mission-driven research that cuts across disciplines and bridges all sectors.
The research infrastructure funded by the CFI mobilizes knowledge, spurs innovation and commercialization, and empowers the talented minds of a new generation. The CFI launched the Research Facilities Navigator in 2013. Since then, it has grown to include more than 840 publicly funded labs with research services, expertise, and equipment organized by 28 industry sectors.
About eCampusOntario and OCIP
eCampusOntario is a not-for-profit organization that accelerates the transformation of postsecondary digital learning in Ontario to increase participation in higher education. The organization leads a consortium of the province’s publicly assisted colleges, universities, and Indigenous institutes to advance the development and adoption of online and digital learning technologies, programs, and environments. eCampusOntario works with its members to maximize the impact of digital learning through investment, innovation, collaboration, and foresight research.
Through its Ontario Collaborative Innovation Platform (OCIP), eCampusOntario has been instrumental in helping Ontario companies navigate the intricate world of R&D by connecting them with the academic expertise necessary to propel their innovations.