Subsector spotlight: Superclusters
When small-, medium- and large-sized companies, academic institutions and non-profit organizations come together to generate bold ideas, regional innovation systems are transformed.
Harnessing the power of collaborative R&D and a $950M investment by the Government of Canada matched by the private sector unlocks the power of data-driven innovation across a spectrum of industries that make up Canada’s five superclusters: digital technologies, protein industries, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI) and blue ocean science.
Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster:
Based in Vancouver, the Digital Technology Supercluster is a cross-industry collaboration of diverse health-care, communications, natural resources, technology and transportation businesses that co-invest in ambitious, business-led R&D projects focused on transformational digital technologies to solve some of industry’s and society’s biggest problems. Some $60M has been invested in innovative projects related to COVID-19 through Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster.
680 member organizations, including:
- BCIT
- Canfor
- D-Wave
- DNAstack
- Genome BC
- Microsoft
- Telus
- Thrive Health
- University of British Columbia
- University of Victoria
Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster received over 600 project proposals in support of Canada’s response to COVID-19, including a digital mental-health tool for health-care workers providing COVID-19 care. As well, the Digital Tech Supercluster is working on the first global platform that empowers health-care organizations to collaborate and improve the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. The Global Clinical Network for Infectious Diseases, led by Spectrum Mobile Health, brings together Alberta Health Services, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Saskatchewan Health Authority and private enterprises to view guidelines developed by institutions across the globe, access their epidemiological data sets and subscribe to updates. Hospitals can adapt and use those guidelines, and the system will help them communicate directly with front-line health-care providers through their mobile devices and computers.
AI-powered supply chains (Scale AI):
A consortium of private entities, research centres, academia and high-potential startups, the Montréal-based Scale AI Supercluster is the central pillar of Canada’s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. Scale AI identifies cross-sector collaborative projects and provides funding and expert guidance to strengthen and improve the productivity of supply chains through the integration and responsible use of AI.
Among the 110+ participating organizations:
- Air Canada
- COVEO
- Creative Destruction Lab
- Element AI
- MAJiK Systems
- McGill University
- MindBridge
- Shopify
- University of Alberta
Scale AI is leveraging Canadian expertise in AI to respond to the COVID-19 health crisis. One such initiative, led by AlayaCare in cooperation with Polytechnique Montréal and Bien Chez Soi, uses AI to assist in COVID-19 triaging by identifying clients or home health-care workers who may have been infected.
When small-, medium- and large-sized companies, academic institutions and non-profit organizations come together to generate bold ideas, regional innovation systems are transformed.
Harnessing the power of collaborative R&D and a $950M investment by the Government of Canada matched by the private sector unlocks the power of data-driven innovation across a spectrum of industries that make up Canada’s five superclusters: digital technologies, protein industries, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI) and blue ocean science.
Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster:
Based in Vancouver, the Digital Technology Supercluster is a cross-industry collaboration of diverse health-care, communications, natural resources, technology and transportation businesses that co-invest in ambitious, business-led R&D projects focused on transformational digital technologies to solve some of industry’s and society’s biggest problems. Some $60M has been invested in innovative projects related to COVID-19 through Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster.
680 member organizations, including:
- BCIT
- Canfor
- D-Wave
- DNAstack
- Genome BC
- Microsoft
- Telus
- Thrive Health
- University of British Columbia
- University of Victoria
Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster received over 600 project proposals in support of Canada’s response to COVID-19, including a digital mental-health tool for health-care workers providing COVID-19 care. As well, the Digital Tech Supercluster is working on the first global platform that empowers health-care organizations to collaborate and improve the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. The Global Clinical Network for Infectious Diseases, led by Spectrum Mobile Health, brings together Alberta Health Services, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Saskatchewan Health Authority and private enterprises to view guidelines developed by institutions across the globe, access their epidemiological data sets and subscribe to updates. Hospitals can adapt and use those guidelines, and the system will help them communicate directly with front-line health-care providers through their mobile devices and computers.
AI-powered supply chains (Scale AI):
A consortium of private entities, research centres, academia and high-potential startups, the Montréal-based Scale AI Supercluster is the central pillar of Canada’s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. Scale AI identifies cross-sector collaborative projects and provides funding and expert guidance to strengthen and improve the productivity of supply chains through the integration and responsible use of AI.
Among the 110+ participating organizations:
- Air Canada
- COVEO
- Creative Destruction Lab
- Element AI
- MAJiK Systems
- McGill University
- MindBridge
- Shopify
- University of Alberta
Scale AI is leveraging Canadian expertise in AI to respond to the COVID-19 health crisis. One such initiative, led by AlayaCare in cooperation with Polytechnique Montréal and Bien Chez Soi, uses AI to assist in COVID-19 triaging by identifying clients or home health-care workers who may have been infected.