Call for Proposals in Horizon AI - Technology Commercialization

THIS CALL IS CURRENTLY CLOSED

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Capturing economic potential of made-in-Canada AI technology solutions through technology commercialization. 

Horizon AI is a specialized program focused on capturing economic potential from Applied AI. By building a commercially focused AI ecosystem through technology commercialization, talent and global advantage streams, DIGITAL is helping Canadian organizations create a global competitive advantage that enables market leadership and accelerated revenue growth. 

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DIGITAL will co-invest $20M of funds from the commercial pillar of the Government of Canada’s Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, alongside industry, that will result in more than $60M of new investment in the commercialization and adoption of innovative AI technology solutions. By co-investing in the early stages of commercialization and adoption of 10-15 ambitious projects developing Canadian-owned AI solutions, DIGITAL will help Canadian tech companies strengthen their intellectual property and data management strategies; refine their commercial plans and product development roadmaps; and address adoption and procurement requirements in their target markets in and outside of Canada. 

10
Selected Projects

($20M Co-Investment Committed)

0
Full Project Proposals in Development

($0M Co-Investment Ask)

0
Expressions of Interest in Development

($0M Co-Investment Ask)

Progress as of March 22, 2024

$61M
Total Investment Committed
$20M
Digital Co-Investment Committed
$20M
Total Digital Co-Investment

THIS PROGRAM IS NOW FULLY COMMITTED.

DIGITAL’s co-investment is competitively distributed across projects that demonstrate high potential and evaluation against the goals of our programs.

impact stories

AI for Health

Using AI to support the resiliency and sustainability of health care systems and advance health care in ways that support healthy living, accessibility and delivering positive outcomes. Areas of Interest include, but are not limited to:

  1. Expanding equitable access through innovative models of care.
  2. Personalized coaching for wellness, mental health and living with chronic conditions. 
  3. Advancing diagnostics and treatments, including clinical decision support, personalized medicine and drug discovery. 
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AI for Earth

Using AI to advance environmental health and support the transition to clean agriculture & natural resources. Areas of Interest include, but are not limited to: 

  1. Smart farming, food security and waste reduction. 
  2. Green exploration, extraction and delivery of Canadian natural resources in support of forestry, low impact mining and securing critical minerals. 
  3. Environmental protection. 
  4. Preparedness and response to natural disasters (i.e., floods, wildfires). 
Chat Bot Chat with AI or Artificial Intelligence technology Woman using a laptop computer chatting with an intelligent artificial intelligence asks for the answers he wants

AI for Services

Using AI to augment service and support decision making with virtual assistants. Areas of Interest include, but are not limited to: 

  1. Reducing time spent on documentation and administrative tasks. 
  2. Customer service across retail and e-commerce to healthcare, finance, telecom, automotive and other consumer-focused business sectors. 

Successful projects will: 

  • Aim to achieve early commercialization and adoption of AI technology solutions that address well-defined problems in the Areas of Interest described above.  
  • Have a minimum total cost of $3M with projected completion by December 31, 2025. 
  • Committed to the safe and responsible use of AI with a demonstrated understanding and compliance to current and anticipated AI regulation in Canada and target markets. Teams are expected to take appropriate measures to ensure the ethical and responsible approach to the use of data and ongoing development and implementation of their AI technology solution throughout and beyond the project.    
  • Consider that all improvements to existing Background IP and any newly created Foreground IP arising through DIGITAL’s co-investment must be owned by Canadian entities that have substantial operations in Canada. 
  • Be enabled by a consortium of at least three organizations that demonstrate high potential for commercialization, adoption and scaling growth of Canadian companies through the participation of at least one SME and at least one potential customer for the technology solution. Projects may be a combination of one or more of the following:
    • 1. “Follow-on” opportunities to support the early commercialization and adoption of AI technology solutions that were developed with prior investment from DIGITAL;
    • 2. Early commercialization and adoption of existing Canadian-owned AI technology solutions in new target markets (i.e., international expansion, adjacent markets); and 
    • 3. Improvements or new developments to address verified product/market fit gaps for the purposes of commercialization and adoption of the AI technology solution.
  • Meet the other eligibility requirements and have a high scoring against the Evaluation Criteria cited in the respective Program Guide.  

Horizon AI - Technology Commercialization Stream Program & Co-Investment Guides

PROGRAM GUIDE
DOWNLOAD THE HORIZON AI PROGRAM GUIDE
CO-INVESTMENT GUIDELINES
DOWNLOAD THE HORIZON AI CO-INVESTMENT GUIDES

We emphasize a collaborative approach to innovation where groups of complementary organizations work together to build stronger, more powerful solutions to big problems. As such, proposed projects are expected to have solid alignment with our Areas of Interest and the right mix of organizational capabilities to meet our program objectives of innovation, commercialization and benefits to Canada.  

After reviewing the above co-investment and program guidelines, you may submit your project concept through the link to the right. Only qualified applicants will be invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). 

This program is now fully committed for investments.

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Horizon AI Information Webinar

DIGITAL held an information webinar to discuss aspects of our Call for Proposals in Horizon AI- Technology Commercialization Stream. You can download the presentation deck discussed in this webinar for more information and reference.

DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION

Upon request, we are available to help potential applicants further understand the objectives of this call for proposals and the eligibility criteria for a proposed project. Please email our team at proposal-support@digitalsupercluster.ca 

PROJECT SELECTION COMMITTEE

Brenda Irwin is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Relentless Venture Fund. Relentless is a health technology venture capital fund that invests in preventative health and chronic disease management solutions that address the needs of our aging population. . Prior to launching Relentless, Brenda was a Partner for the Healthcare Venture Capital team for the Business Development Bank of Canada. She is an associate for Creative Destruction Labs (‘CDL’) and an EIR for the Life Sciences BC ‘Investor Readiness Program’.

Alan Winter was British Columbia’s first Innovation Commissioner from 2018-2020. He has wide experience at senior levels in the technology sector and in government. Alan has been a director of over 30 organizations and companies.

Natascha Kiernan (J.D., ICD.D) is an experienced corporate director, lawyer, and strategic advisor. Ms. Kiernan is the founder and principal of Bellevue Strategic Advisory and currently serves as Vice Chair of the BC Energy Regulator. Ms. Kiernan is also a strong advocate for increasing diversity across organizations and serves as a mentor for both Women Get On Board and Dress for Success.

Cameron Burke is an experienced VC, operator and advisor. Cam is a versatile operator with a strong track record in accelerating growth and scaling companies from concept to exit. Over the past 15 years he has co-founded and exited two tech companies and scaled another to IPO.

Norine Primeau-Menzies is a Registered Nurse and Health Care Executive who has extensive experience having held several senior positions within healthcare organizations locally, provincially, and nationally. Norine’s goal has always been to contribute in a meaningful way to improve healthcare in Canada.

Neil MacLean is a seasoned healthcare leader and consultant with over two decades of experience driving growth, integration, and sustainability in the dynamic healthcare landscape. His prowess in securing funding for digital health transformations and forging innovative partnerships positions him as an influential figure driving positive change and innovation in healthcare.

With over 25 years of senior management experience in the Electrical/Electronics Manufacturing, IT Services and Telecom sectors Mike was most recently the CEO of Resson Aerospace.  While working at Resson he led the effort to find a new future for the team, and the Intellectual Property, focused on Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture. Prior to this, Mike was Chief Operating Officer at Nautel where he oversaw the company’s broadcasting equipment and navigation-aid businesses, playing a key role in the development and execution of strategies to grow the business into new sectors. He has also held leadership roles at Seaforth Energy, Cobham Tracking & Locating, Aliant, and Andersen Consulting.

Over the years, Mike has been involved in a number of not-for-profit and charitable organizations including Board of Directors membership at the IWK Health Centre, Mermaid Theatre, The Maritimes Energy Association, and Sail Nova Scotia. Mike holds a Master of Business Administration from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia.