Bridging the gap to market with CITM Innovation Challenges

How CITM’s Innovation Challenge helps bring solutions to market 

Innovators often struggle with securing pilots, partnerships and first customers, especially with established corporations. On the other hand, corporations face challenges in finding or developing innovative solutions to pressing industry problems.

The Centre for Integrated Transportation and Mobility (CITM) reduces this gap by connecting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with industry leaders to help resolve pressing challenges for the transportation and mobility sectors. How? Through programs like Innovation Challenges. 

What is the Innovation Challenge program?

Backed by the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), CITM’s Innovation Challenge program serves as a bridge, connecting leading corporations with innovative start-ups to introduce disruptive solutions to the market. 

The program offers unique access to a dynamic network of accelerators, government agencies, academia, and private corporations, and is designed to contribute to economic growth within Ontario and Canada’s transportation and mobility sector.

The CITM Innovation Challenges have brought industry leaders like Nokia, Geotab ITS, Parsons Corporation, Magna International, City of Hamilton, Hamilton Street Railway (HSR), and others, to a common platform where they can collaborate with innovators to take on some of their real-world challenges.

For example, there is a growing popularity of what’s called ‘people-powered’ mobility, or micromobility, commonly seen in the forms of bicycles or electric scooters. This growing popularity has highlighted the need to adjust the infrastructure to accommodate those using these modes of transportation. 

Recognizing this issue, Parsons Corporation’s Middle Eastern Business Unit in association with Parson’s Canada, partnered with CITM in 2023 to uncover innovative solutions to enhance micromobility and multimodal transportation systems by addressing challenges related to infrastructure design, system integration, and safety. The team was focused on identifying efficient, low-carbon, and cost-effective transportation networks that would ensure the safety and security of all users, including pedestrians and passengers.

How are Innovation Challenges beneficial for SMEs?

The CITM Innovation Challenge Program is a platform where industry leaders meet innovative SMEs. It helps showcase fresh solutions that advance the Ontario transportation sector, connecting SMEs directly with major corporations. Opportunity, meet innovation!

Finalists get the chance to: 

• Present their innovations to leading corporations; 
• Break down barriers to securing major corporations as potential clients; 
• Gain Canadian and potentially global exposure, 
• Gain access to potential follow-on project-based investment between OVIN and the major corporations.

Past winners have benefited from direct collaborations with established companies such as Nokia, Magna International and Parsons Corporation making Innovation Challenges a great opportunity for SMEs looking to make an impact in the transportation and mobility sectors.

Ontario-based organizations get the added advantage of leveraging CITM’s comprehensive services including mentorship, business advisory services  and potential testing support for their solutions.

Innovator success stories

Aéroport AI, an airside operations management platform leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, and a CITM innovator, was the winning team of 2022 Innovation Challenge with Nokia. 

With the ‘Multimodal Freight Challenge,’ Nokia sought solutions to enhance the safety of personnel at ports, airports, distribution centers, and other freight-handling points, including vehicle operators and other staff. Aéroport AI’s solution perfectly aligned with these challenges, earning them a collaborative partnership with Nokia.

CITM’s Innovation Challenge program connected Aéroport AI to key decision-makers at Nokia, in both Canada and Europe, leading to a potential partnership as a sales channel for Aéroport AI and a channel solution partner for Nokia. 

Aéroport AI’s technology is currently available and operational in 15 international airports worldwide and the team is exploring potential collaborations with airports in Ontario. 

“With over 80 candidates applying since the first challenge in 2022, the CITM Innovation Challenge program has become a launchpad for start-ups aiming to work with large corporations,” said Richard Dunda, Director of CITM. “It’s a great example of how we can engage corporate partners and offer SMEs global exposure and support from larger entities.”

Interested in resolving challenges in collaboration with innovators from the industry? Connect with us to learn how you can partner with us for the next Innovation Challenge.  

If you think your company has a unique solution and are interested in participating in the Innovation Challenge Program, sign up and get notified when a new challenge launches.