At an event at MaRS last week, the provincial Minister of Research and Innovation, Glen Murray, announced that
MaRS would become part of the Ontario Network of Excellence. At an event that showcased the innovative power of the GTA displaying companies launched at MaRS and by incubators such as Ryerson University's Digital Media Zone and OCAD, Murray touted the importance of Toronto.
"There are things that can only happen in this country's financial and cultural capital, things that cannot happen anywhere else. In a knowledge economy... if you do not have a large city, you are North Dakota, or Montana," he said. He added that Toronto has taken up the challenge of leading the country. "We are not a place of small ideas, we are a place of big ideas that go to big places and change our world in real time."
To continue to foster that environment, Murray announced a $2.25 million commitment over the next three years for MaRS so that it may continue its mandate to foster innovation in Toronto by harnessing expertise from across academic and business sectors to aid in launching and developing companies. MaRS will become on of 14 centres in the province-wide "Network of Excellence" being built to foster innovation.
Writer: Edward Keenan
Source: Glen Murray, Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation