Article originally posted here.

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VANCOUVER, March 5, 2019 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to growing the economy, creating good jobs and keeping Canada competitive. That is why the Government has teamed up with small, medium-sized and large companies; academic institutions; and not-for-profit organizations to develop major engines of growth and job creation under the Innovation Superclusters Initiative.

Today, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced the first projects under the British Columbia-based Digital Technology Supercluster, all of them designed to unlock the power of data. These seven projects have the goal of improving service delivery and efficiency in the natural resources, precision health and industrial sectors.

Minister Bains was speaking at MetaOptima Technology Inc., a Vancouver-based digital health company that is collaborating with other small and medium-sized enterprises, large businesses and health organizations to use tele-imaging and artificial intelligence to reduce wait times for skin cancer patients. This pioneering project, part of the Digital Technology Supercluster, involves partners such as TELUS Health, Careteam Technologies Inc., University of Victoria, Providence Health Care and BC Cancer and has the potential to not only reduce costs to Canada's health care system but also improve patient outcomes.

Other projects announced under the supercluster are:

• Pharmacogenomics
• Forest Machinery Connectivity
• Predictive Analytics in Manufacturing
• Learning Factory Digital Twin
• Earth Data Store
• Secure Health Genomics Platform

Quotes

"The Digital Technology Supercluster is kicking into high gear, launching seven inaugural projects that will unlock the potential of data to push Canadian businesses over the top, preserve our forests, and even save Canadian lives. These seven projects are a big step forward in advancing data and digital technologies, with positive impacts reverberating across our country, including the creation of good middle-class jobs."
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

"We are thrilled to celebrate the launch of our first cohort of seven technology leadership projects. We are proud to be delivering on the promise of the Innovation Superclusters Initiative so early in our mandate. The investments between the supercluster and our project partners will propel Canada forward as a digital innovation leader, drive increased economic growth, and create jobs across the province and country."
–Sue Paish, CEO, Digital Technology Supercluster

Quick facts

• A Government of Canada investment of up to $15 million in this first batch of projects under the Digital Technology Supercluster has helped leverage more than $25 million in contributions from industry, research and academic partners.
• The Digital Technology Supercluster will create more than 13,500 jobs and add more than $5 billion to Canada's economy over 10 years.

Associated links

• Innovation Superclusters Initiative
• Digital Technology Supercluster
• Protein Industries Canada Supercluster
• Next Generation Manufacturing Supercluster (NGen)
• AI-Powered Supply Chains Supercluster (SCALE.AI)
• Ocean Supercluster

Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA
Find more services and information at Canada.ca/ISED

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