The concept of industry clusters has been around in the private sector for quite some time. The idea has always been that a group of companies working in the same sector can receive tremendous benefits from being located near each other physically. Thus, you can find industry clusters all around the world, from aerospace to biotechnology.

However, government clusters are not quite so common. One of the few examples of government departments forming a significant cluster can be found at the Shirleys Bay campus in Ottawa. Here, an R&D cluster in information and communications technologies (ICT) has been formed at the heart of Silicon Valley North, essentially a government cluster within a larger private sector one.

Within the Shirleys Bay campus, six different Government of Canada organizations can be found, working together to meet their own specific mandates. By sharing the campus and pooling resources and expertise, they are not only saving taxpayers significant money by reducing overhead costs, but are also able to better collaborate and share information between them, to the benefit of everyone.

As these partners have proven, the cluster concept has tremendous benefits. Down the road, it is possible that even larger clusters could be formed, with government organizations and departments working together in close proximity to deliver the best service possible to Canadians and providing better value for every tax dollar.

Government Organizations at Shirleys Bay: