The federal government has launched a new $40 million innovation program to help Canadian companies by testing their innovations within the government before taking them to market.

The new Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP) will focus on four key areas: environment, health, safety and security, and enabling technologies.

"By testing their products and services within government, we are investing in job creation and in the future of Canadian companies that have innovative ideas," says the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance.

The program will be open to companies that have pre-commercial innovations that:

• Are products and services in the final stages of development;
• Have not have been produced in great quantity;
• Have only ever have been sold for testing and demonstration; and
• Are not already be readily available in the marketplace.

The program is managed by Public Works and Government Services Canada and implemented through its Office of Small and Medium Enterprises. Canadian entrepreneurs will find out more about the program through different outreach activities, and can participate through the open, fair and transparent competitive procurement processes.

For more information, please visit buyandsell.gc.ca/innovation.

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