Earlier, I referred to some of the things we are trying to do in leveraging the innovation ecosystem that exists in the region and creating that type of collaboration in Ontario to make sure various key players and actors are working together.
There is a project called the Southern Ontario Smart Computing Innovation Platform. Some people refer to it as SOSCIP. The agency has funded this platform twice. It tries to pair academics and industry partners with advanced computing tools, software, and equipment, to fuel commercialization and innovation for those companies.
The partnership and the collaboration occur in different streams. It could be mining, advanced manufacturing, or cybersecurity. This provides the tools for the SMEs to work with researchers or post-graduate students. We have approximately 15 universities in southern Ontario that are partners as part of that, and each of them has expertise. They are able to work with specific companies that have specific needs and in return support the ability of these companies to bring their products or services to market much faster. First-mover advantage is critical.