Cisco launches Toronto Innovation Centre for next phase of digitization in Canada

Cisco recently opened the doors of its Cisco Innovation Centre at the Cisco Canada headquarters in downtown Toronto, Ontario. The Cisco Innovation Centre Toronto, one of nine Cisco Innovation Centres worldwide, is designed to catalyze and showcase digital innovation and development.

The Centre will bring together customers, industry collaborators, startups, application developers, accelerators, government organizations and universities to work on real world problems, with a focus on urban innovation (including smart cities, urban mobility, and environmental transformation), healthcare and financial services transformation.

“Cisco’s commitment to bring this unique facility to our city shows we are on the path to establishing Toronto and Canada as innovation leaders,” said John Tory, Mayor of Toronto. “This Centre offers our brightest and most talented an opportunity to take their game changing ideas from a concept to reality. By providing access to test labs for experimentation, investment for commercialization and networks to access the global market, Cisco’s Innovation Centre will help build Toronto’s economy of the future.”

“The mantra of the Toronto Innovation Centre is Inspire, Innovate and Invest,” said Bernadette Wightman, president, Cisco Canada. “Inspire the next great minds of tomorrow. Foster innovation and big ideas today. And invest in the potential game-changing companies of tomorrow.”

Located on the 29th floor of Cisco’s new Toronto offices, this facility offers an open digital platform where customers, partners, entrepreneurs and academics can create, test and refine new solutions that have the capacity to change industries.

The Innovation Centre is composed of both purpose-built and flexible collaboration spaces. Components include:

A dynamic classroom space where Cisco Networking Academy students and instructors can have hands-on access to the latest Cisco technology and mentorship from Cisco engineers,

A Solutions Lab, dedicated to the development of industry solutions and addressing specific customer requirements,

A TelePresence room for collaboration with Cisco’s global Innovation Centres, as well as customers, partners, academia across the country,

Several flexible rooms where customers, startups, researchers and entrepreneurs are invited to work and brainstorm on new ideas and technologies,

Also, the Innovation Centre has access to Cisco Canada’s new Customer Experience Centre, which showcases the latest Cisco technology and demonstrations.

Cisco also announced a Canadian Innovation Prize, a competition to identify innovative and disruptive technology startups across Canada with a grand prize of $100,000 CDN on offer. Contest criteria and details will be formally announced in the coming weeks and can be found here.