Ontario’s Innovation Ecosystem
Regional Innovation Centres (RICS)
TechPlace which is part of the HalTech Innovation Centre
Ontario’s innovation ecosystem has a number of different vehicles to support entrepreneurship and the development of unique Intellectual Property (IP) which will help create game-changing technologies for the future.
The RIC centres listed below are a great first stop for founders who want to get assistance in commercializing their business idea and getting it in front of mentors who can provide feedback. Often situated adjacent to universities and colleges, there are a number of ways to get involved with a RIC, either by attending a basic workshop, all the way up to renting office space at the centre at a subsidized rate.
Altitude Accelerator – Brampton
Communitech (RIC) – Kitchener-Waterloo
Green Centre Canada – Kingston
HalTech Innovation Centre – Halton Region
Innovation Factory (RIC) – Hamilton
Innovation Guelph (RIC) – Guelph
Innovation Initiatives Ontario North – North Bay
Innovate Niagara (RIC) – Niagara Region
Invest Ottawa (RIC) – Ottawa
Launch Lab (RIC) – Kingston
MaRS (RIC) – Toronto
Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) (RIC) – Sudbury
Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre (RIC) – Thunder Bay
Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) – Across Ontario
Productivity & Innovation Centre – Timmins
Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (RIC) – Sault St. Marie
Spark Centre (RIC) – Oshawa and Whitby
TechAlliance of Southwestern Ontario (RIC) – London
Venture Lab (RIC) – York Region, Simcoe County, Muskoka District and the Greater Toronto Area
WEtech Alliance (RIC) – Windsor
Accelerators
Accelerators serve a similar function as the RICs in that they support and mentor startups. However they are unique in that they offer programs on a condensed timeline (as they name suggests). Accelerators often run in a cohort-based model.
Accelerator Centre – Kitchener-Waterloo and Stratford
Downtown Windsor Business Accelerator – Windsor
DreamBuilder Studios – Cornwall
Haliburton County Development Corporation – Haliburton County
Hamilton Technology Centre – Hamilton
Lawson Health Research Institute – London
Sarnia-Lambton Business Development Center – Sarnia-Lambton
YEDI – North York