With funding provided by the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund, yesterday in downtown Toronto, partners from across Canada gathered to launch the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network. MICA is a national innovation ecosystem initiative designed to modernise mining and improve its productivity and environmental performance, strengthen the Canadian mineral supply chain, and increase the domestic and export sales of Canadian innovators.
The statement said: “Canada’s mining sector is a crucial part of our economy, and the global demand for critical minerals is only adding to its potential. As countries around the globe shift toward net-zero, the mining sector will be relied upon to meet the rapidly increasing demand for those minerals. By accelerating the development and commercialisation of innovative autonomous and clean technologies in the mining sector, the MICA initiative is expected to extend the operational lives of existing mines and reduce the time it takes to bring new mineral deposits into production, thereby positioning Canada as a global leader in sustainable mining as well as cleantech development.”
“A primary objective of the MICA Network is to increase the number, scale and market reach of Canadian mining SMEs, producing high-tech solutions to accelerate the low-carbon transition,” said Doug Morrison, President/CEO – CEMI and Network Director – MICA. MICA, headquartered in Sudbury, ON, will connect regional networks to become a collaborative, national innovation ecosystem under the leadership of the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI). To ensure MICA’s national reach and impact, CEMI will be supported by the following main partners in the implementation of its programs and services: The Bradshaw Research Initiative for Minerals and Mining in British Columbia, InnoTech Alberta, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, MaRS in Ontario, Groupe MISA in Quebec and the College of the North Atlantic in Newfoundland & Labrador.
“MICA will connect Regional Mining Clusters to Cross-Sector Innovation Centres across the country to create a National Network, allowing mining companies access to the mining innovation ecosystem in one place,” said Marianne Matichuk, Chairperson of the Board of Directors – CEMI/MICA.
The Government of Canada is supporting the continued success of the sector by investing in innovative solutions that will strengthen Canada’s international leadership in sustainable, efficient and safe mining. “We are proud to support the MICA Network, which will boost Canadian mining’s global leadership in sustainability and competitiveness. Innovation in mining is key to Canada’s economic growth and transformation to a low-carbon economy, especially for many rural, remote, and Northern communities. I look forward to seeing the new processes, tools, and technologies that MICA will develop through local and regional partnerships — this will mean good, sustainable jobs for Canadians,” said The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.
