Innovation Hubs and Labs

What is an Innovation Lab?

Innovation labs are based on the idea that the competencies and mindsets needed for systematic innovation are not the same as those required for stable, daily operations and service delivery at the front line. Innovation labs seek to provide approaches, skills, models and tools beyond what most trained civil servants usually possess. This may call for the creation of dedicated ‘safe’ spaces and opportunities for collaboration on innovation across units, departments and sectors to assist the exploration phase of innovation. Labs typically involve key stakeholders, including end users such as citizens and businesses, in a process of co-creation. For governments this means crafting new solutions with people and not just for them.

With innovation labs, the hope is that the establishment of dedicated, cross-cutting organisational structures can strike a blow at vested interests, power plays, and organisational infighting. Labs do so by being permanent structures with a mission to temporarily unfreeze organisational embedded practices. (Powering Collaborative Policy Innovation: Can Innovation Labs Help? 2012.)

Innovation Hubs/Labs in the Government of Canada

Updates and activities happening within the Government of Canada Innovation Hubs and Labs community can be found on GCcollab

Hubs and Labs Within the Government of Canada *(please add your group and update outdated info)*
Department	Name of Hub/Lab/Team	Contact(s)
Canada Revenue Agency	Accelerated Business Solutions Lab	tracey.snow@cra-arc.gc.ca; Andre.Patry@cra-arc.gc.ca; @AGPatry; Adrian.Senn@cra-arc.gc.ca; @adrian_m_senn
Canada School of Public Service	Design & Learning Lab	Kony.Trudel@canada.ca
Canadian Food Inspection Agency	Creative Marketplace Lab on Data, Skills and Technology	ian.dahlman@canada.ca
Canadian Food Inspection Agency	Data Analytics and Modelling (DAM) team	jae-jin.ryu@canada.ca
Canadian Food Inspection Agency	Innovation and Idea Zone (the i-Zone); the Agency's innovation hub	CFIA-innov-ACIA@canada.ca \| CFIA i-Zone/ Zone-i ACIA on GCconnex & GCcollab
Canadian Heritage	PCH Innovation Lab	Robin.Kilroy@canada.ca
Développement économique Canada	Incubateur d'innovation	diego.dube@canada.ca
Elections Canada	Elections Canada Innovation team	Jessica.Schultz@elections.ca; margy.vilé@elections.ca
Environment and Climate Change Canada	Innovation and Youth Engagement Division	Holly Palen; holly.palen@canada.ca @holly_palen Melissa Poon; melissa.poon@canada.ca; @mykpoon Chari Marple; chari.marple@canada.ca
Health Canada/PHAC	i.HUB Health Canada/PHAC	hc.ihub.sc@canada.ca @ihubhcsc
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada	Blueprint 2020 @ IRCC Secretariat	Maureen.Collins@cic.gc.ca And Tracy.Godin@cic.gc.ca
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada	Operations Planning and Performance Branch Research and Development Centre (OPPB RDC) Centre de Recherche et Développement de la Direction Générale de la Planication et du Rendement des Opérations (CRD DGPRO)	Jean-Guy St-Amour, Deputy Director, Business Research and Analysis: Jean-Guy.St-Amour@cic.gc.ca o Josh Clory, Senior Research Analyst: Josh.Clory@cic.gc.ca o Emilie Norman-Fortin, Senior Research Analyst: Emilie.Norman-Fortin@cic.gc.ca o Alexandre Strong, Senior Data Analyst: Alexandre.Strong@cic.gc.ca o Mathieu Zerter, Senior Data Analyst: Mathieu.Zerter@cic.gc.ca
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada	Service Insights & Experimentation (Pier SIX)	IRCC.CEPierSIX-PilierSIXEC.IRCC@cic.gc.ca
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada	Social Innovation Division, Settlement and Integration Policy
Natural Resources Canada	OEE Social Innovation UnLab	frank.gale@canada.ca
Privy Council Office	Impact and Innovation Unit	@impact_innovEN; @impact_innovFR; canada.ca/impact-and-innovation; canada.ca/fr/centreinnovation.html
Public Services and Procurement Canada	Innovation Secretariat	TPSGC.DGAPINNOVATION-PABINNOVATION.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca. GCCollab: https://gccollab.ca/groups/prole/988619/eninnovating-the-pay-administrationbranchfrinnovation-u00e0-la-direction-gu00e9nu00e9rale-de-lu2019administration-de-la-paye
Public Services and Procurement Canada	Innovation Zone (Office of the Chief Transformation Officer)	TPSGC.dgsizoneinnovation-isbinnovationzone.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
Treasury Board Secretariat	Canadian Digital Service	https://digital.canada.ca/ cds-snc@tbs-sct.gc.ca https://twitter.com/CDS_GC
Treasury Board Secretariat	Centre for Regulatory Innovation	cri-cir@tbs-sct.gc.ca. Gcpedia - CRI Canada.ca - CRI
Environment and Climate Change Canada	Regulatory Policy Section	danny.lepage@canada.ca
Quebec Federal Council	Laboratoire d'innovation du Conseil Fédéral du Québec	simon.morin@canada.ca