Canadian Government Launches Innovation Superclusters Initiative Application Process

StartupSource has previously covered the federal government's Innovation Superclusters Initiative, which promised to inject $950 million into developing innovation "superclusters." The government defines "superclusters" as geographical regions containing strong industrial clusters, or clusters that rely on specialized inputs such as technology and infrastructure. In late May of 2017, the government provided further details for its Innovation Superclusters Initiative, and officially launched the first phase of the application process.

This initiative targets industry-led consortiums, which are groups of businesses (including small and medium enterprises) and organizations (including post-secondary schools and research institutions). Applicants are expected to develop a strategy to build a "supercluster advantage" that is competitive both regionally and globally. The government has emphasized five activities that it hopes applicants will incorporate into