Vancouver, British Columbia [ August 31, 2020 ] – The Digital Technology Supercluster (the Supercluster) is proud to announce two new projects focused on strengthening Canada’s healthcare system and delivering long-term improvements in Canadian health care.

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Spanning the Supercluster’s three Technology Leadership Programs – Precision Health, Data Commons and Digital Twins – the new projects represent a total investment of nearly $8.4 million, with nearly $3.2 million provided by the Federal Government’s Ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry, and $5.2 million of co-investment from Supercluster Members.

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“By leveraging the Supercluster’s unique collaborative model, these projects are mobilizing industry, academia and not-for-profit organizations to drive improvements in Canadian healthcare, and accelerate Canada’s financial and economic recovery,” said Supercluster CEO Sue Paish. “Powered by a growing community of more than 680 organizations, we are committed to supporting our country’s safe return to prosperity and increasing our global competitiveness through the development, deployment, and scaling of Canadian-made digital technologies.”

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“The projects announced today are great examples of how the Digital Supercluster is securing Canada’s global leadership in digital innovation. Led by SMEs, these collaborative projects are developing digital platforms that will be especially relevant in a post-pandemic environment with an emphasis on remote care and secure digital IDs,” said the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

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The two projects announced today include:

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Healthcare to Homecare

The Healthcare to Homecare project will enable and empower seniors to live longer and healthier lives from within their own homes. The project’s solution, the Frailty Care System (FCS), helps identify key causal factors of frailty thus enabling the provision of essential clinical care, remote patient monitoring and self-care programs leading to improved health and subsequently, a reduced burden on hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Frailty is a medical condition of reduced function and health in older individuals that increases the odds of developing multiple medical conditions. There are an estimated 3 million frail or pre-frail patients in Canada and over 30 million in the US. The strain on healthcare systems is apparent, but with the adoption of the FCS, it is possible to reduce the impact this condition has on both the healthcare economy and the quality of patients’ lives.

Lead organization: XCO
Partner organizations: iClinic, Kinduct, Indoc Research, Ontario Brain Institute, University of Victoria

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TRUSTSPHERE

This project aims to empower Canadians through the creation of a scalable and trustworthy health-access platform that enables each person to utilize a strong digital identity to easily view, share and manage their own health data in a private, secure and informed manner. Owing in part to the increased COVID vulnerability of diabetes patients, the pilot will focus on improving patient-centered care for children with Type 1 diabetes by connecting them with their families, caregivers and clinicians.

Lead organization: Careteam Technologies
Partner organizations: MedStack, SecureKey Technologies, Smile CDR, University of British Columbia, BC Children’s Hospital, IDENTOS

More information on these and other Technology Leadership projects can be found on the Digital Technology Supercluster website here.

Media Inquiries: For more information, please contact Kathleen Reid at kried@switchboardpr.com or 1-604-724-1242. For media assets, click here. Interview opportunities with Sue Paish, CEO of the Digital Technology Supercluster, are available upon request.

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About Digital Technology Supercluster:

The Digital Technology Supercluster solves some of industry’s and society’s biggest problems through Canadian-made technologies. We bring together private and public sector organizations of all sizes to address challenges facing Canada’s economic sectors including healthcare, natural resources, manufacturing, and transportation. Through this ‘collaborative innovation,’ the Supercluster helps to drive solutions better than any single organization could on its own.  The Digital Technology Supercluster is led by industry leaders such as D-Wave, LifeLabs, LlamaZOO, Lululemon, MDA, Microsoft, Mosaic Forest Management, Sanctuary AI, Teck Resources Limited, TELUS, Terramera, and 1Qbit. Together, we work to position Canada as a global hub for digital innovation. A full list of Members can be found here.

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About the Technology Leadership Program:

The Supercluster delivers three technology programs to enable wide-scale adoption of digital transformation platforms in key industrial segments and develop and commercialize new products, services and platforms. The suite of technology programs includes the: Precision Health Program, Data Commons Program, and Digital Twins Program. These programs are core to the Supercluster securing Canada’s global leadership in digital innovation, and securing social and economic benefits for Canadians. Media backgrounder here.

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