Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP)

The Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP) is a new, $40 million initiative, launched as part of the Government of Canada's commitment to promote Canada's economic growth as announced in Budget 2010. Created to bolster innovation in Canada's business sector, the CICP will help companies bridge the pre-commercialization gap for their innovative products and services by:

• Awarding contracts through an open, transparent, competitive and fair procurement process, to entrepreneurs with pre-commercial innovations.
• Testing and providing feedback to these entrepreneurs on the performance of their products or services.
• Providing innovators with the opportunity to enter the marketplace with a successful application of their new products and services.
• Providing information on how to do business with the Government of Canada.

The CICP will target innovations in 4 priority areas:

• Environment
• Safety and security
• Health
• Enabling technologies

The program will include 4 Calls for Proposals, which will include a full description of the Priority Areas and specific criteria for selection. The first Call for Proposals will be available in the fall of 2010 on MERXTM. The government will also organize and/or participate in regional events and trade shows so that Canadian businesses can showcase their innovative concepts to federal representatives.

The CICP is managed by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), and implemented by the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME). OSME advocates on behalf of small and medium enterprises in federal procurement.

For more information, please visit the CICP website.