The Critical Industries and Technology Initiative provides funding for technology and skilled workforce development.
Technology innovators who want to make mines safer will be eligible to receive up to $1 million in funding to develop their ideas, along with support for the talented and skilled workers who will help bring them to fruition.
Under the Critical Industries Technology Initiative, a program of the Ontario Centre for Innovation (OCI), the province is exploring new, not yet commercialized, technologies that can address operational and environmental hazards in mining.
Robert McMillan, digital adoption advisor at OCI, said the aim of the challenge is to identify and support scalable technologies that address safety as an industry-wide issue.
OCI will focus on projects using one or more key technologies, including 5G, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, robotics and quantum.
“So we not only want to help develop and commercialize new technologies, but we also want to foster the adoption of these technologies and develop the workforce to support that adoption,” McMillan said during a June 5 webinar outlining the challenge.
He noted that the parameters of the mining specific challenges were determined through discussions with stakeholders in the mining sector.
“We also expect to see technology adoption across sectors,” McMillan added. “For example, a company might offer something like a tire monitoring system for agriculture, but realise that it could also be valuable for a mining opportunity. So we want to help translate that technology into new commercial opportunities.”
The Challenge is open to consortia of at least one small business (a business with 500 employees or less) and must have an Ontario-based lead partner that can demonstrate a market need for the proposed technology.
McMillan noted that up to $1 million in funding is available but will be provided on a two-to-one cost-matching basis.
Projects can last up to one year, but by the end, applicants must demonstrate that their technology can be deployed across industry.
“This program is designed to support new businesses and endeavors, not ones that are already in place or planned,” McMillan said.
McMillan said that in addition to the industry's unique challenges, there are also funding programs in place to help companies hire the skilled workers they need to advance their technology.
The Workforce Development Initiative will provide applicants with up to $10,000 on a one-to-one cost-matching basis to hire an intern for four months to assist with their development.
To be eligible for an internship, you must have graduated within the last three years and have expertise in one of the key technologies. For example, programmers are not eligible, but someone with expertise in AI is.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for businesses looking to attract new talent,” McMillan said.
The second program, “Future Ready,” allows companies to upskill or reskill their current employees.
For example, if a company needs talent with AI expertise, OCI could provide up to $10,000 to hire talent to train existing employees in the technology.
Companies wanting to participate must submit their expression of interest by June 28, with the application deadline being July 12.
The Mining Sector Challenge is the second challenge issued as part of OCI’s Sector Hiring Programme.
The first is the Agri-Food Challenge, which focuses on the use of critical technologies to improve operational efficiency, increase productivity and address labour shortages in the agri-food sector. Expressions of interest for this challenge close on 15 June.
McMillan said additional challenges would be issued for various areas throughout the year.
$50 million over three years will be provided through the Critical Technologies Initiative to accelerate the commercialization and adoption of technologies critical to the development of Ontario's mining, advanced manufacturing, construction and agri-food sectors.
