Mitacs Applauds Government of Canada for New Support for Technology Commercialization and Business Growth in Western Canada

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Oct. 25, 2013) - Mitacs congratulates the Government of Canada and the Honourable Michelle Rempel, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, for launching the Western Innovation (WINN) Initiative.

The new initiative will enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access funding to help them take a product from the R&D stage to market, from product testing and technology demonstrations, equipment purchases and installation to regulatory approval, marketing and intellectual property protection.

"SMEs are the economic backbone of Canada," said Dr. Arvind Gupta, CEO and Scientific Director of Mitacs, a national not-for-profit research organization focused on developing the highly-skilled workforce required by companies across industries and sectors. "The WINN Initiative will provide valuable assistance to these companies at the important, make-or-break stage as they move from development to commercialization. We applaud the Government for this important investment in the future of Western Canada."

"We look forward to working with Western Economic Diversification, through our suite of programs, to support small and medium-sized companies in the west," he said.