Speech

Remarks by
Tony Wong, Parliamentary Assistant MRI
At the Opening of the Stiller Centre Convergence Laboratory

April 4, 2006 -- CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

Thank you, Your Worship, (Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco) for that kind introduction. I am very pleased to be here in your wonderful city today.

On behalf of Premier and Minister of Research and Innovation Dalton McGuinty, I congratulate you on the establishment of a world-class convergence laboratory.

At the Ministry of Research and Innovation, we are committed to championing a culture of innovation for Ontario.  We believe that unlocking the creative potential of Ontarians is vital to compete and win in the global economy.

The Premier thinks that innovation is so important to our future that he has made himself Ontario's first Minister of Research and Innovation.

And it is my great honour and privilege to work with him as his Parliamentary Assistant.

Innovation is the key to enhancing the growth of our companies and creating new ones. The result is high-quality jobs that help build and sustain healthy and vibrant communities.

Our government has a plan to strengthen our economy by ensuring Ontario is moving ideas and discoveries rapidly from the lab to the marketplace.

Commercialization is the key to ensuring that those ideas hit the global market — not later, but now.

One of the drivers of our province's commercialization framework is the Regional Innovation Network Program  -- well known to most of you as "RIN."

Our government has committed more than $13 million to develop 11 RINs across the province.

In the growing knowledge-based economy, we look to the RINs' commercialization strength to help solidify Ontario's place among global competitors.

The London RIN has acted as a catalyst to bring this laboratory to life.  They have done so by bringing key innovation partners together and building networks.

I would like to congratulate the three partners in the London RIN, the Stiller Centre, TechAlliance and the London Economic Development Corporation, for their dedication to innovation partnership.

Convergence is often a key part of innovation. My favourite example of convergence is the Internet: the convergence of communication and computation. Who knows what great innovations will spring from the Stiller Convergence Laboratory?

We are proud to have worked with our London partners by providing a RIN grant of $800,000 to help fund operations and staff positions. This convergence lab will let researchers do ground level work, with great equipment and facilities, at a very affordable price. Up to six new companies will benefit from this convergence laboratory.

Matching up early-stage entrepreneurs and small technology-based companies within the region will produce results we can't even imagine today.

I'd like to thank Hach Laboratories, the University of Western Ontario and of course the Stiller Centre for their generous donations of equipment. The involvement of other organizations and corporate sponsors is vital to the success of our efforts.

Peter Bruijns, tells me that he has over $400,000 worth of equipment and consumables here at the lab. And things are already heating up in that lab.

The first start-up tenant, Bio Transform Research Laboratory, led by Dr. Erin Johnson, is already working on its biofuels research.  And Partnar Animal Health Laboratory, led by Greg Shewfelt, is doing some production research work.

There are other benefits. I'm delighted that the investment in the London RIN has also produced some synergy. This includes the efforts to merge the economic development forces of Stiller, TechAlliance, the Small Business Development Centre and the LEDC into one focused development organization. 

The other programs already supported by the RIN have helped to shift the business and research culture in London.  For example, the Shared Services Program operated out of the Convergence Lab creates easy access to research resources for startups and small business.

The research community now knows that working with small industry in a simplified manner creates more research revenue flow. It also boosts the competitiveness of the companies. And, as an extra bonus, it raises awareness in the community about the Stiller Centre and how it can support startups.

These focused efforts that link research resources to small companies is a great competitive advantage, for this region, and for the entire province.

Once again, London has shown why it is a leader in building advantages to compete internationally. This new laboratory is a model of innovation partnership — the kind of collaboration that supports a true culture of innovation.

I am sure that I will be back here in the near future to celebrate the first of many successes started here at the Stiller Centre Convergence Laboratory.

Thank you.