The Government of Canada aims to serve Canadian people and promote Canadian interests. They oversee various economic and social affairs, including jobs and business, health, taxes, national defense, culture, justice, transportation, and more.
The Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) program is part of the broader Regional Economic Growth through Innovation (REGI) initiative designed to boost economic development through innovation in Canada. It provides funding to help not-for-profit organizations in Western Canada increase the innovation capacity of the region. The program supports the development of strategic clusters, business accelerators and incubators, and efforts to increase business productivity and global competitiveness. Specifically, it focuses on technology commercialization, business scale-up, productivity improvement, ecosystem capacity building, and business acceleration and incubation. RIE prioritizes projects that support cluster growth in key sectors such as Clean Technology, Clean Resources, Life Sciences, Value-added Agriculture, Advanced Manufacturing, and Digital Technology, as well as projects that enhance inclusiveness for underrepresented groups including Indigenous Peoples, Women, and Youth. The goal is to foster strong, dynamic, and inclusive regional innovation ecosystems across Canada.