CENGN Living Labs to support Canadian innovation startups, scaleups

Backed by $45 million investment from the Federal Government’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), the Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks – or CENGN – plans to develop eight Living Labs across Canada, aimed at supporting more than 100 Canadian startups and scaleups looking to prepare their innovative network technology products for market entry, commercial growth and industry adoption.

CENGN Living Labs drive nationwide digital transformation for key Canadian economic sectors. Through Living Labs, CENGN will provide the services, expertise, and infrastructure required to test, validate, and certify network technology solutions. This initiative will advance the competitiveness of Canadian industry while also supporting the development of new IP and the growth of our most innovative tech startups and scaleups.

Collaboration with partners

CENGN drives the innovation and adoption of advanced networking technologies in Canada through connected infrastructure, technical expertise and services, talent development, and the nurturing of a thriving innovation ecosystem.

The organization has expanded its services to include eight collaborative Living Labs across the country. These CENGN Living Labs will be supported by a robust network of partners, including 5G and network technology leaders, Ericsson, Nokia, and Rogers.

Living Labs will be located in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec, focusing on the validation of solutions across several industries, including Smart Mobility, Smart Buildings, Advanced Manufacturing, Robotics, Smart Agriculture, and Network Technologies.

Wireless networks are vital

Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada (ISED)’s $45 million investment in CENGN aims to expedite the digital transformation of Canadian industry while directly supporting Canadian innovators through Innovation and Adoption Projects. Each Innovation Project includes up to $250K in co-investment funding to the startup or scaleup, a number which increases up to $500K for Adoption Projects.

“Wireless network technologies such as 5G are vital to enabling a fast, responsive and versatile modern economy. That is why we are investing in Canada’s advanced networks and telecommunications ecosystem to create a 5G testbed and living labs to ensure that our businesses have the tools they need to compete and thrive in an increasingly globalized economy.” The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

This funding is expected to provide a major return on investment, including:

• A significant boost in GDP growth
• The creation and safeguarding of critical tech jobs in Canada
• The launch of innovative Canadian products to market
• The generation of disruptive and impactful Canadian IP patents
• Sales growth and substantial follow-on investment for participating Canadian startups and scaleups
• Acceleration of Technology Readiness Levels for participating Canadian companies
• The entry of skilled professionals into critical digital technology roles nationwide

Living Labs explained

“Our CENGN Living Labs leverage the latest cutting-edge technology in cloud, 5G, and edge computing to provide sector-related testing environments that empower Canadian startups and scaleups for their next step in commercial growth. Through Innovation and Adoption Projects, we pair our technology expertise with our Living Lab infrastructure to provide end-to-end validation of digital solutions that utilize technology like AI/ML, IoT, VR/AR, and automation,” said CENGN president & CEO Jean-Charles Fahmy. “Our services will be available to help Canadian innovators test, validate, and certify their solutions and generate Canadian IP, driving the digital transformation that is essential for enhancing our country’s industry competitiveness and productivity.”

Startups and scaleups can access these services through an Innovation Project, where they utilize CENGN Living Lab environments and expertise to test, validate, and certify their solutions for market entry or expansion. Upon project completion, companies are armed with CENGN’s trusted report of the solution’s value and performance. Alternatively, a startup can participate in an Adoption Project, where they work directly with a potential customer to test and validate their solution against the customer’s needs and requirements, potentially concluding the project with a contract to implement the solution into the customer’s operations.

Pan-Canadian innovation ecosystem

Through CENGN, the Living Labs are connected to a greater pan-Canadian ecosystem of tech-leading organizations, innovation hubs, and sector-focused organizations. This ecosystem will enable the accessibility and promotion of CENGN Living Lab services to startups and scaleups across the country, ensuring all innovative Canadian companies can apply for a project. CENGN will also leverage its ecosystem of partners to share project learnings across Canada, providing project results and knowledge gained through innovation highlights and blueprints to enable further digital transformation across industry.

“Since its founding in 2014, CENGN has been a welcome addition to the Kanata tech community. Telecommunications technologies such as 5G provide the infrastructure that allows our economy to thrive, and the sector is a true catalyst for our economy. Every new job in the telecommunications industry creates 1.3 new jobs within the broader Canadian economy, and this investment is expected to create and maintain an estimated 400 new highly skilled jobs across Canada,” added Jenna Sudds, Member of Parliament for Kanata/Carleton and Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.

CENGN internships

CENGN will partner with Mitacs to provide internships to over 90 Canadian Post-Secondary Institution students. These interns will be paired with participating tech startups and scaleups, as well as CENGN’s robust ecosystem of partners. Learning will be hands-on with a focus on critical digital technologies, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.