Innovation Initiatives Ontario North

Facilitating Partnerships for Sustainable Economic Prosperity

+ About IION +

IION Vision

The vision of IION is to firmly establish itself as the regional 'go-to' address for innovation and commercialization at the public-private sector interface, particularly but not entirely exclusively in the areas of Bioscience and Medicine as well as Bioproducts from renewable and sustainable sources. IION is an expert driven organization. We place a strong emphasis on both transformational and convergent technologies as tools to promote economic diversification and higher level job creation.

IION was originally known as the Northern Ontario Commercialization Initiative (NOCI) and grew out of a workshop held in December of 2002 which brought together researchers, companies and economic development agencies from across northern Ontario with expertise and/or interest in biotechnology. This process led to the formation of the Northern Ontario Biotechnology Initiative (NOBI). NOBI was led by a steering committee of representatives from economic development agencies and private and public sector R&D organizations from the five major regions in northern Ontario - North Bay/Nipissing/Muskoka, Sudbury/Manitoulin/Parry Sound, Sault Ste. Marie/Algoma, Timmins/Cochrane/ Temiskaming and Thunder Bay/Northwestern Ontario. Based on the opportunities identified in Phase I of the BCIP process, NOBI evolved into the Northern Ontario Commercialization Initiative under the auspices of the Ontario North Economic Development Corporation (ONEDC).

The ONEDC was incorporated in 2005 as a non-profit corporation to create and implement pan-northern economic development initiatives. The ONEDC board appointed a management committee to oversee the implementation and activities of the NOCI RIN. NOCI is the first pan-northern project undertaken by ONEDC. In December of 2006 the decision was made by ONEDC and the NOCI Management Committee to spin off NOCI as a separate non-profit organization to facilitate the governance requirements of key funders and to improve operational efficiency. The new organization was incorporated in the first quarter of 2007 as INNOVATION INITIATIVES ONTARIO NORTH (IION). The complete transition to the new non-profit organization was completed in September, 2007.

Innovation Initiatives Ontario North's primary goal is the diversification of the Northern Ontario economy. This objective will be met through the facilitation of partnerships between industry and educational institutions as well as between industries whose synergies may not have been as apparent in the past; for example, the lumber and chemical industries.

IION Mandate

to lever and integrate the capabilities of members to advance research and development, and linkages with business and industry, in and for Northern Ontario;
to educate members and Northern Ontario communities in commercialization and innovation based areas and the knowledge economy;
to attract innovation, knowledge-based businesses, and other related businesses to Northern Ontario, and assist such businesses in so locating;
to support and promote the creation of new innovation, knowledge-based, and other related businesses in Northern Ontario;
to provide strategic, management, and consulting services to assist innovation, knowledge-based, and other related business activities;
to participate in the development and implementation of a Northern Ontario strategy that will interconnect and foster collaboration with companies, associated government and non-government institutions, and other stakeholders including without limitation producers, service providers, suppliers, universities, and colleges;
to enter into partnerships and agreements with municipal, First nations, provincial, and federal governments to promote or deliver commercialization and innovation programs and projects to, and development of innovation, knowledge-based, and other related businesses in Northern Ontario; and
to apply for and accept grants or other financial contributions from government bodies, corporations, and individuals to support the above noted goals.