Fledgling high-tech companies are often challenged by the overwhelming cost of moving forward with R&D programs. In Canada, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a distinct advantage thanks to the existence of the Innovation Centre at the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC). CRC is the leading federal government laboratory for advanced communications R&D, and for over a decade has made its technologies, facilities, and expertise available to Canadian high-tech companies, through this incubation program, to help them flourish.

To date, the CRC Innovation Centre has helped over 40 companies get off the ground since its first client in 1994, companies that are employing approximately 3000 people across the country. There are currently seven client companies on site at the Shirleys Bay campus, taking advantage of the tremendous facilities and services offered by the Innovation Centre.

One example of the success supported by CRC's Innovation Centre can be seen in the growth of Ottawa-based Spotwave Wireless, a graduate of the program. The company, which has developed technologies to improve wireless voice and data reception in hard-to-service areas, is on the fast track to success. The company has already deployed over 2000 systems, which are manufactured in Cornwall, Ontario. Having recently received over $12 million in new financing, Spotwave has also been awarded a US patent for its SpotCell indoor wireless technology.

Client companies graduating from CRC's incubator program, like Spotwave Wireless, have an extremely high rate of success. At last survey, these companies had a 96 per cent success rate, significantly higher than the national average, which is 87 per cent. The tremendous links and benefits generated for client companies of the Innovation Centre are obviously a significant factor in this success.