Date: September 24, 2015

BRAMPTON, ON: Some of Brampton’s most forward-thinking professionals and entrepreneurs met in City Hall recently for the Innovation Roundtable hosted by Mayor Jeffrey and the Altitude Accelerator.

The group discussed the challenges and opportunities in Brampton with respect to fostering investment in innovation, building partnerships, and creating the right conditions for sustained economic growth. The public sector, private sector and educational institutions all have roles to play and specific strengths to bring in creating an environment that supports innovation. Communities like Brampton that have the vision to support innovation across sectors are attractive to investors, employers and creative minds alike.

Participants closed by discussing next steps, highlighting further collaboration, the potential development of an innovation task force to research best practices in successfully supporting innovation start-ups, and to investigate the establishment of a centre for innovation.

Following the roundtable, local high-potential tech entrepreneurs, and advanced manufacturing and design experts from Sheridan College displayed their innovative products and services. Roundtable participants and the public got a chance to get hands on with some of this technology, including 3D printers, drones, and an Occulus Rift.

Quotes

“Over the next couple of years, Brampton will be home to new, state-of-the-art medical facilities. We are also progressing very well on the goal of establishing a university in Brampton. These are two key pillars to supporting innovation, keeping our brightest young people in Brampton, and building new partnerships to foster productivity and commercialization.”

City of Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey

“The Innovation Roundtable was a great step towards collaborating on creating an environment to bring new technology to the market and new jobs in Brampton. It was good to hear Mayor Jeffrey’s vision and commitment to helping establish some of the key foundational pieces in this process.”

Magnum Integrated Technologies President and CEO Andre Nazarian

“A culture that supports innovation can dramatically increase the energy and prosperity of a community. At the Altitude Accelerator we want to continue to work with Brampton to create an ecosystem where new ideas flourish and real products and services are commercialized.”

Altitude Accelerator Chair Paul Berlin

Brampton Innovation Highlights

• Since 2005, the City of Brampton has seen a 50 per cent growth in health and life sciences and is now home to more than 250 companies in the sector.
• The health and life sciences sector employs more than 11,700 highly skilled workers in the city. Brampton is a significant contributor in Ontario’s life sciences sector and is located within the province’s biotechnology cluster, currently the third largest in North America.
• The City’s partnership with Sheridan College and Brampton Library has led to increasing resident and business participation in innovative and technology-driven MakerSpace Brampton programs. From January to August, more than 1,450 residents have benefitted from the programs, special events and networking at the MakerSpace Brampton.
• The Altitude Accelerator, Peel Regions’ hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, has expanded its programming and partnership with Brampton, building a stronger network of technology entrepreneurs. In Brampton, the Altitude Accelerator has provided its focused technology and innovation entrepreneurial training to over 230 prospective entrepreneurs.

About Brampton: The ninth-largest city in Canada, Brampton celebrates a diverse population that represents people from 209 distinct ethnic backgrounds who speak 89 different languages. Brampton residents and visitors have access to state-of-the-art recreation facilities and one of the fastest-growing transit systems in Canada. Opened in 2007, Brampton Civic Hospital is part of the William Osler Health System, which is one of the largest community hospitals in Canada. For more information, visit www.brampton.ca or follow @CityBrampton on Twitter.

About Altitude Accelerator: Peel Region’s hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, the Research, Innovation, Commercialization (RIC) Centre supports the development of innovation and entrepreneurship in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon. Altitude Accelerator provides commercialization support to help new entrepreneurs and seasoned business people take technical innovations to market, with experienced advisors and Entrepreneurs in Residence who guide its clients every step of the way. The Centre’s mission is to build an innovation ecosystem to support community prosperity across Peel Region.

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Brian Stittle
Sr. Media Coordinator
City of Brampton
905.874.2143 | brian.stittle@brampton.ca

Pam Banks
Executive Director
Altitude Accelerator
289-373-3050 | pam.banks@riccentre.com