Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation
May 8, 2017

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Christopher Mitchelmore, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation:

Provincial Government Celebrates Innovation Week 2017

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize our province’s annual Innovation Week.

Over the next five days, numerous partner organizations will roll out over 20 unique innovation-related events, bringing together start-ups, youth, business and public partners, in an effort to collaborate and learn from global innovators about how to infuse innovation into their businesses and communities.

We cannot downplay the significance of the technology sector in Newfoundland and Labrador. According to the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Technology Industries there are over 170 companies in the sector, over 4,000 employees and over $1.6 billion in annual revenues.

It is obvious innovation has a remarkable influence on our province’s social and economic development. As outlined in The Way Forward, we are committed to resetting the innovation agenda in Newfoundland and Labrador as a way to help strengthen and diversify the economy, and to create an ecosystem where innovation can flourish.

Already there has been an extraordinary level of industry interest, public participation, and community awareness in the development of our new Business Innovation Agenda, and I am proud to say we are on track to launch the new agenda in the coming months.

Another key initiative is our Regional Innovation Systems Pilot Project. As part of Phase Two, regions throughout the province have been selected based on clusters of businesses active in the sectors of fisheries and tourism; forestry and agrifoods; aerospace and defence; industrial technology development; and ocean technology. This new system will help drive our regional economies to build a competitive advantage by diversifying unique, localized knowledge into new innovations.

As we continue to work towards advancing business innovation, productivity and competitiveness, as well as increasing research and development, we recognize the importance of working with our industry partners. It is through a collaborative effort that allows us to align this energy, ultimately producing a more prosperous province for us all.

Thank you

2017 05 08                              2:15 p.m.