SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESSShirleys Bay Organizations Believe that Success is Contagious
"Incubators have made many companies successful."
Marie Lussier, Manager of Communications Research Centre Canada's Innovation Centre, If there is one lesson to be learned from the history of the Shirleys Bay Campus, it is that success breeds success. Canada's technology successes of World War II led to Alouette 1, which in turn, led to the campus's current leading-edge projects. It is clear that having access to specialized expertise and contact with a culture of excellence leads to further success.
With a mandate to help build a strong Canadian economy, Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC) started operating its Innovation Centre in 1994. The Centre is designed to incubate start-up technology companies, as well as the new R&D initiatives of more established businesses.
The CRC Innovation Centre consists of about 20,000 square feet of office and lab space spread over six buildings on the Shirleys Bay Campus. The Centre's goal is to match qualified business start-ups with CRC research mentors willing to sponsor these companies by sharing their expertise.
In order to qualify, a candidate company must have a business plan and a technology idea that parallels CRC's R&D interests. There must also be a capacity at CRC in the form of available office space and a researcher willing to act as a technology advisor.
CRC also offers access to its top-notch support services, including marketing information and contacts; a scientific library; meeting rooms; an in-house graphic arts facility; and a unique machine shop/prototype development facility tooled specifically to develop one-off electronics and communications products.
Office space and services are offered at market rates, and companies are willing to pay, since comparable services are not often available anywhere else. The prestige that comes with being located at CRC and having access to valuable networking opportunities are also strong selling points.
Innovation Centre Manager Marie Lussier is the President of the Canadian Association of Business Incubators and is a strong proponent of the incubator concept. She is very proud of the more than 30 companies that have come through the CRC Innovation Centre – including names such as SkyWave Mobile Communications, Square Peg Communications and Spotwave Wireless, to name a few.
Lussier says the CRC incubator is tailored to create a synergy between the private and public sectors in Canada.
"Companies benefit from CRC expertise, and access to world-class test beds and technologies," she says. "And CRC benefits from sharing knowledge and technology with the private sector."
Lussier adds that CRC's experience, coupled with that of other business incubators, show that incubators create jobs and contribute to an innovative economy.
"They lead to higher business success rates and facilitate strategic alliances between start-ups and larger public and private organizations in Canada and abroad," says Lussier.
The National Business Incubator Association in the U.S. estimates that there are about 4,000 incubators worldwide, with about 1,000 in the U.S. and 150 in Canada.
For more information about the CRC Innovation Centre, please visit www.crc.ca .
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