From referrals to collaboration agreements and co-investments, OCI works with its partners to make companies more innovative, facilitating increases in their growth and profitability through industry-academic collaborations.

Government – Provincial and Federal 

OCI’s operational and program funding is primarily provided by the Ontario government with additional program funding coming from the federal government. We are committed to promoting a whole-of-government approach that provides companies with a single entry point to access provincial and federal funding as a means to minimize duplication and increase program impact. Currently, our partners in this mission are Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research assistance program (NRC-IRAP); Connect Canada Auto 21 and Business Development Bank of Canada. 

How OCI works with RICs across Ontario

OCI works alongside Regional Innovation Centres (RICs) to offer programming and services to Small to Medium-Sized Enterprise (SMEs) who are typically in early-stage/growing innovation and partner them in some cases with technology companies/academia/government partners, to help facilitate the potential to expand and succeed on a global scale.

Partner Organizations 

OCI engages with a wide range of organizations in a variety of national and international private-sector partnership arrangements. 

Academic Research Partners – Universities, Colleges, Research Institutions 

As part of our mandate from the Government of Ontario, OCI works with the province’s universities, colleges and  research hospitals to foster industry-academic collaborations that create innovative new technologies, products and services leading to  greater overall economic prosperity.