Navdeep Bains, Canada’s Minister for Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced today that a strategy to build an Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster for Canada has qualified for federal investments under the Government of Canada’s Innovation Superclusters Initiative.
More than 140 organizations, including the City of Brampton, participated in the Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster bid. The City provided letters of support for the bid and partnered with the Brampton Board of Trade on a talent development proposal for funding within the larger Supercluster project. The City has been actively engaged in the process, and will remain engaged as funding decisions are made.
The newly incorporated Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGM Canada) will be the lead organization in leveraging more than $800M in proposed investments by industry and the federal government, in turn funding proposals and projects to create new opportunities for firms, supply chains, communities, and thousands of Canadians employed in key industry segments.
The geographical focus of the Supercluster is the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area, and as a result, Brampton has an opportunity to see new investments.
The City has a significant advanced manufacturing sector, represented by approximately 900 companies. Advanced manufacturing accounts for more than 35,000 jobs in Brampton, with one in five employed Bramptonians working in the sector. The manufacturing ecosystem has additional strengths with stakeholders like Sheridan College’s Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technologies, and Sheridan’s Skilled Trades Centre that provide companies with the resources to support development of new products, processes and people for the sector. The City is also anticipating Ryerson University, along with Sheridan College, coming to downtown Brampton.
There are three pillars to the Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster strategy:
Co-invest in collaborative, industry-led projects in things like vision systems, AI, IoT, data security, robotics, advanced materials, and additive manufacturingSupport the creation of new tools, testbeds, and infrastructure to help create the next generation of manufacturing firmsBuild out a robust ecosystem of supports and services that accelerate technology adoption in manufacturing i.e. technology readiness assessments, training and skills development, and go-to-market support
As we learn more in the coming months about how this funding will be implemented, officials from the City and its partners are looking forward to working with NGM Canada to assist with the implementation of this new cluster.