Many businesses that Mentor Works deals with have heard of the two most popular research and development (R&D) funding programs: NRC’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) and the SR&ED tax credit program. Both are valuable programs that support innovation and commercialization efforts. However, most of our clients are unaware of the wider range of programs…
When I was a high school student many years ago, a classmate visited my home one evening to ask if I would date him. When he smiled at me, I noticed a quantity of leafy greens stuck in his teeth. This detail – a small one, admittedly – suggested three things to me: First, he…
Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), one of the Canadian government’s Innovation Superclusters, has approved its first project, a collaborative undertaking with total costs of $4.2M, led by iVexSol Canada (Intelligent Vector Solutions). NGen will provide $1.89M to develop a new manufacturing process for viral vectors, which are crucial components in the treatment of cancers and…
As a self-declared nerd, I admit to being fond of the “adults-who-go-back-to-school” film category. This includes movies such as Billy Madison, Never Been Kissed, 21 Jump Street, and so on. I suspect that one of the reasons for the appeal of these films, at least for some of us, is the fantasy of having the…
The Government of Canada announced in Budget 2017 that an additional $300M would be available over a 10-year period to further support the development of creative hubs (multi-tenant facilities that bring together professionals from a range of arts or heritage sectors and creative initiatives that offer programming to the public) and cultural spaces. Branching from…
The relationship between training and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is often understated. With implementations, the understanding usually lies with the consultant as they guide you through the process. There is an inherent learning experience that is happening. The question is, is that all you need to learn the platform? Canadian manufacturers know how critical…
An Ontario-based technology company, Rockport Networks, has received funding from the federal government to develop Networking at the Edge (NATE). The $49.9M project will create software-enabled network systems for data storage, making these systems more energy efficient, as well as faster and more secure. Rockport Networks, located in Ottawa and founded in 2012, specializes in…
The National Research Council (NRC) recently announced a $5M funding award to Ottawa-based Ross Video. The $5M in funding signifies the single largest funding award through the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) and will help the organization to compete with other tech firms on a global level. Funding from this federal program will be disbursed…
BioConnect, an Ontario biometrics company, has received millions of dollars in funding from the Federal Development Agency of Ontario through the agency’s Business Scale-Up & Productivity Program (BSP). The funding will support multiple expansion projects at BioConnect, including commercializing new biometric technology and growing in new export markets. Founded in 2010, BioConnect provides biometric access…
If there’s one thing that unites Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science, it’s Venn diagrams. It’s a sure sign we’ve reached the peak of a technology’s hype cycle when the popular articles about it stop complaining about buzzwords and start complaining about all the articles complaining about buzzwords. That seems to be the case…