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The Government of Canada is maintaining and creating well-paying middle-class jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity by investing in the growth of small businesses to promote innovation and global competitiveness.
On May 16, 2018, the Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced a repayable investment of $7.6 million to support a $19-million project by Bluedrop Performance Learning Inc., a company that provides simulation technology, simulators and training programs to the aerospace and defence sectors.
The funding will help Bluedrop create or maintain more than 200 jobs by supporting the design and development of next-generation aerospace and marine simulation and training products.
The project will adapt gaming and mobile technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality to improve the use of artificial intelligence in developing new simulation and training products used by air and marine crews.
This investment will lead to training that is more relevant and cost-effective and that improves safety for air and marine crews.
This investment is being made through the Strategic Innovation Fund, a program designed to attract and support high-quality business investments across all sectors of the economy by encouraging R&D that will accelerate technology transfer and the commercialization of innovative products, processes and services and will facilitate the growth of innovative firms.
“Our government is investing to help small businesses across Canada grow and be active players in innovative sectors of the economy. This investment in Bluedrop’s innovative simulation and training technologies will support the creation of middle-class jobs in Atlantic Canada and foster a vibrant regional economy. This investment is a concrete example of our government’s ambitious agenda to strengthen the middle class, create jobs, and ensure a prosperous and inclusive future for Canadians,” said Brison.
“Bluedrop welcomes this support from the Government of Canada, through the Strategic Innovation Fund, as we look to further enhance our competitive position through the development of next-generation training solutions,” said Derrick Rowe, executive chairman of the board of Bluedrop Performance Learning Inc.
Quick facts
- Founded in 2012, Bluedrop Training and Simulation Inc. designs and develops advanced training systems and state-of-the-art simulation products to safely train operators and maintainers of complex equipment. The company is headquartered in St. John’s, N.L., and also has a location in Halifax, N.S., where the project will take place;
- The Strategic Innovation Fund is a flexible program that reflects the diversity of innovation in all sectors of the economy;
- In addition to the Strategic Innovation Fund, there are hundreds of programs and services to help businesses innovate, create jobs and grow Canada’s economy. With a simple, story-based user interface, the new Innovation Canada platform can match businesses with the most fitting programs and services in about two minutes
