The City of Mississauga in collaboration with the Government of Ontario is considering options for strengthening its support for innovation in the region by creating a new Mississauga Innovation Centre. An analysis was undertaken of the strengths and weaknesses of both Mississauga’s innovation economy and the local innovation support system to identify gaps and opportunities that could be addressed with additional support.
The report makes recommendations for ten priority actions:
(1): Establish a Mississauga Innovation Leadership Alliance comprising leaders from the private sector, postsecondary institutions and the city that can provide strategic direction, support and commitment to overseeing initiatives designed to strengthen the innovation economy in Mississauga.
(2): Hire a minimum of three resource personnel who can animate and implement the initiatives identified by the Mississauga Innovation Leadership Alliance.
(3): Establish a go-to hub where people involved in innovation can meet regularly.
(4): Task the Mississauga Innovation Leadership Alliance with identifying two or three clusters around which to develop focused cluster strategies.
(5): Implement a Mississauga Talent Project comprising a series of pilot projects designed to connect and develop human capital in support of innovation.
(6): Hire interns to assist with the community-building work of the Talent Project.
(7): Identify incubation, lab and other specialized R&D space within established firms or underutilized industrial properties that can serve the needs of start-ups and SMEs.
(8): Establish a Research Exchange with Sheridan College and UTM that identify opportunities for accessing specialized research equipment and collaborative research opportunities.
(9): Engage Sheridan College, IRAP and other relevant stakeholders to take advantage of the new funding programs for industry-postsecondary collaboration to leverage existing physical assets, resources and capabilities at the college so as to serve the unmet needs of existing manufacturing establishments in Mississauga.
(10): Launch a marketing campaign to showcase existing support services and foster awareness of Mississauga as a location for innovation.
Click here for the complete report.
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