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 new processes, programs or policies 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 organizational structures can strike a blow at vested interests, power plays, and organizational infighting. Labs do so by being permanent structures with a mission to temporarily unfreeze organizational embedded practices.
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
| Department | Name of Group | Contact(s) [name, title-email] |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Border Services Agency | Border Technologies Innovation, Acceleration, Integration and Emerging Technology | Jeff Outram, Senior Advisor/Free Agent - Jeffrey.Outram@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
Paul Sanderson, Senior Program Advisor - Paul.Sanderson@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca |
| Canada Revenue Agency | Research and Innovation Lab | General Inbox - SIIBINNOVG@cra-arc.gc.ca
Shannon Drew, Director - Shannon.Drew@cra-arc.gc.ca |
| Canadian Coast Guard | Transformation and Innovation Unit | Harry Chadwick, Manager - Harry.Chadwick@dfo-mpo.gc.ca |
| Canadian Food Inspection Agency | Data Analytics and Modelling team | |
| Canadian Heritage | Creative Marketplace Lab on Data, Skills and Technology | Joelle Paré, A/Director, Marketplace and Legislative Policy - joelle.pare@pch.gc.ca |
| Canadian Heritage | PCH Innovation Lab | robin.kilroy@pch.gc.ca |
| Développement économique Canada | Incubateur d'innovation | diego.dube@canada.ca |
| Environment and Climate Change Canada | Innovation and Youth Engagement Division | |
| Elections Canada | Elections Canada Innovation team | Michel Roussel |
| FINTRAC | Innovation & Change Network | |
| Global Affairs Canada | Science, Technology and Innovation | Stéphane Lessard, Executive Director - Stephane.Lessard@international.gc.ca
Dominic Jean, Senior Innovation Advisor - Dominic.Jean@international.gc.ca |
| Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada | Operations Planning and Performance Branch, Research and Development Centre (OPPB, RDC) | Serge Joly, A/Director - serge.joly@cic.gc.ca |
| Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada | Social Innovation Unit, Settlement and Integration Policy Branch | Dean Ruffilli, Assistant Director dean.ruffilli@cic.gc.ca |
| Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada | Innovative Solutions Canada | solutions@ised-isde.gc.ca |
| Natural Resources Canada | Policy Innovation and Experimentation | |
| Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Innovation Hub | IH-CI@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
Creed Millman, Director - creed.millman@nserc-crsng.gc.ca Abdelbasset Hallil, - Abdelbasset.Hallil@nserc-crsng.gc.ca |
| Privy Council Office | Impact and Innovation Unit | Rodney Ghali, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet - rodney.ghali@pco-bcp.gc.ca |
| Public Health Agency of Canada | Behavioural Science | Jorida Cila - jorida.cila@phac-aspc.gc.ca |
| Public Health Agency of Canada | PHAC, Innovation and Experimentation | Rice Honeywell - rice.honeywell@phac-aspc.gc.ca |
| Public Services and Procurement Canada | Digital Innovation Network | André Arsenault, Directeur - andre.arsenault@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca |
| Quebec Federal Council | Laboratoire d'innovation du Conseil Fédéral du Québec | Catherine Lovatt-Smith - catherine.lovatt-smith@dec-ced.gc.ca |
| Statistics Canada | Innovation Secretariat | Kathryn Stevenson, Director - Kathryn.Stevenson@statcan.gc.ca |
| Transport Canada | Innovation Centre | Ryan Klomp, Director - ryan.klomp@tc.gc.ca |
| Treasury Board Secretariat | Centre for Regulatory Innovation | cri-cir@tbs-sct.gc.ca |
| Veteran's Affairs Canada | VAC Innovation Hub |
Innovation Communities in the Government of Canada
- Impact Canada
- Grand Challenges Canada (Global Affairs Canada)
- ISED Innovative Solutions Canada
- Policy Horizons Canada - Horizons de politiques Canada Policy Horizons Canada
- Public Service Innovation Canada (ISEDC Service Lab)
Multilateral Innovation Hubs
- Observatory of Public Sector Innovation
- UN Global Centre for Public Service
- United Nations Global Pulse
- UNICEF Innovation Labs
Academia
Canadian
- Strategic Innovation Lab (sLab), OCAD University
- McMaster University - Innovation Park
- Queen's University Innovation Centre
- Queen's University Ingenuity Labs
- Simon Fraser University Social Innovation Lab
- University of Waterloo Social Innovation Lab
- Carleton University Innovation Hub
- St. Paul University Social Innovation
- Pond-Deshpande Centre Social Innovation Lab at the University of New Brunswick
- Munk School (University of Toronto) Innovation Policy Lab
- Durham College AI Hub
International
- Harvard Innovation Lab
- Stanford University - Center for Social Innovation
- University of Oklahoma - Innovation Hub
- University of Southampton - Social Innovation Lab
- University of the Arts London - DESIS Lab
- NESTA (UK innovation foundation)
- MIT Office of Innovation
- The Pennovation Center at the University of Pennsylvania
- Innovation Center at the University of California, Berkeley
- National University of Singapore (NUS) Innovation and Enterprise Office
- Melbourne InnovatEd
Provincial and Municipal
- Municipal Innovation Exchange (Guelph, London, Barrie)
- Bayview Yards - Your Ottawa Innovation Hub
- Calgary Social Impact Lab
- City Studio Vancouver
- Innovation Saskatchewan
- Nova Scotia GovLab
Policy Think Tanks, Research Centers, and Consultancy Innovation Hubs
- The Brookfield Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI)
- Bridgeable - Service Design and co-creation
- The Behavioural Insight Team
- Cisco Innovation Labs
- The Finance Innovation Lab
- IDEO: A Global Design Consultancy Firm
- GovLoop
- The Gov Lab (NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering)
- Deloitte Innovation Lab
- Nesta Public Services Lab
- Public Policy Lab
Accelerators & Commercialization Labs
- Canadian Accelerator / Incubator Network (CAIN)
- GreenCentre Canada - Innovation in Chemistry
- MaRS Discovery District
- BCI
- InnovaCorp (Nova Scotia)
- Volta (Atlantic Canada)
National Government Innovation Hubs
Australia
Denmark
Finland
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States
Civil Society Labs
- Citizen lab
- Civic system lab
- Grand Challenges (Gates Foundation)
- GovCamp
- Impact Hub
- Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics
- Parsons DESIS Lab
- Social Innovation Lab
- Technology-Academics-Policy (TAP) Forum
- Social Innovation Canada
- New Brunswick's Social and Public Innovation Lab // Le laboratoire de l’innovation publique et sociale du Nouveau-Brunswick
- Nova Scotia GovLAB
- Common Good Solutions (Nova Scotia)
- Tamarack Institute (community Innovation)
Common Hashtags
