Over 70 participants came to listen to eight presenters during the Innovation Information Forum (IIF), presented by - and hosted by Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation (QPI).
This was the second year that QPI hosted the event. When QPI first held the IIF in February 2020 at the Seaway Coworking space in downtown Kingston, participants had to navigate through a snowstorm that had besieged the region. This year brought a new kind of challenge with the pandemic. Delivered via Microsoft Teams, the 2021 session was quite successful, with participants still able to ask questions and get feedback in real time.
The purpose of the presentation was to allow local businesses, from startups up to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the opportunity to engage with federal government procurement officials and learn more about Canadian innovation programs and services that are available to them.
OSME is an office with the Acquisitions Branch of the federal government that is responsible for ensuring fairness and transparency in government procurement by bridging the gap between suppliers and government departments through outreach sessions such as these information sessions. The goal of these sessions is to demystify the procurement process, which can feel a bit daunting for companies who are just starting their journey into dealing with the government procurement process and to hopefully encourage more companies to get involved with government programs and services.
Presenters during the Innovation Information Forum included:
- Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) – Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) – Mythbusting Government Procurement
- Department of National Defence (DND) -
- National Research Council (NRC) -
- Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) - Intellectual Property - The Basics
- Natural Science and Engineering Research Council Canada (NSERC) -
- Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) - Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) –
- Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) -
- Queen’s University’s Partnerships and Innovation – Programs and Services
In order to identify and find the appropriate end user / government officials to promote yourself or product/solution, you’ll need to use the and search by department for directors or managers within these departments that may be a fit for you.
For companies who may be uncertain about who to connect with, please contact OSME or visit their website to be connected with the appropriate party.