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. (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Hubs and Labs within the Government of Canada (please add your group and update outdated info)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 Group Contact(s) [name, title-email]
Canada Border Services Agency Border Technologies Innovation, Acceleration, Integration and Emerging Technology Paul Sanderson, Senior Program Advisor - Paul.Sanderson@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
Canada Border Services Agency Innovation & Business Optimization Division
Canada Revenue Agency Accelerate Business Solutions Lab André Patry, Director - andre.patry@cra-arc.gc.ca
Canada Revenue Agency Research and Innovation Lab Natasja Mackwood, Policy Analyst - natasja.mackwood@cra-arc.gc.ca
Canada School of Public Service Learning Lab raymond.violette@canada.ca + kony.trudel@canada.ca
Canadian Coast Guard Foresight & Innovation HUB (Coast Guard Experimentation [CGX]) William Murray, Manager - DFO.CCGInnovationGCC.MPO@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Business Implementation Support and Integration Division (BISI) CFIA-innov-ACIA@canada.ca
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Data Analytics and Modelling team Joanna Grenon, A/Director - joanna.grenon@canada.ca

+ jae-jin.ryu@canada.ca

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
Elections Canada Elections Canada Innovation team jessica.schultz@elections.ca + margy.vilé@elections.ca + [Michel Roussel - email]
Environment and Climate Change Canada Innovation and Youth Engagement Division Sunny Uppal, Director - sunny.uppal@canada.ca
FINTRAC Innovation & Change Network Joseph Dixon, Manager, Follow-Up and Strategic Engagement (FUSE) Team / Co-founder, Innovation & Change Network - joseph.dixon@fintrac-canafe.gc.ca

+ kris.wright@fintrac-canafe.gc.ca + claire.niedbala@fintrac-canafe.gc.ca

Global Affairs Canada Science, Technology and Innovation Stéphane Lessard, Executive Director -
Health Canada/PHAC Behavioural Science Jorida Cila - jorida.cila@phac-aspc.gc.ca
Health Canada/PHAC iHUB Hc.ihub.sc@canada.ca + jenni.bennett-gilmour@tpsgc-gwgsc.ca
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada Blueprint 2020 maureen.collins@cic.gc.ca, tracy.godin@cic.gc.ca, bob.lanouette@cic.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 Service Insights & Experimentation (Pier SIX) IRCC.CEPierSIX-PilierSIXEC.IRCC@cic.gc.ca + stephanie.jay-tosh@cic.gc.ca
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada Social Innovation Division, Settlement and Integration Policy
ISED Innovative Solutions Canada solutions@ised-isde.gc.ca
Natural Resources Canada Policy Innovation and Experimentation Matt Naccarato, A/Manager - matt.naccarato@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Innovation Hub IH-CI@nserc-crsng.gc.ca
Privy Council Office Impact and Innovation Unit Rodney Ghali, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet - rodney.ghali@pco-bcp.gc.ca

Chad Hartnell, Director of Operations - chad.hartnell@pco-bcp.gc.ca

Public Services and Procurement Canada Innovation Secretariat Stephanie Kirkland, ADM, Pay Administration -

TPSGC.DGAPINNOVATION-PABINNOVATION.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.

Public Services and Procurement Canada Innovation Zone (Office of the Chief Transformation Officer) TPSGC.dgsizoneinnovation-isbinnovationzone.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
Quebec Federal Council Laboratoire d'innovation du Conseil Fédéral du Québec simon.morin@canada.ca
Transport Canada Innovation Centre TC.Innovationcentre-centredinnovation.TC@tc.gc.ca
Transport Canada Service Innovation Centre of Excellence irwin.bess@tc.gc.ca
Treasury Board Secretariat Canadian Digital Service cds-snc@tbs-sct.gc.ca
Treasury Board Secretariat Centre for Regulatory Innovation cri-cir@tbs-sct.gc.ca
Veteran's Affairs Canada VAC Innovation Hub Elizabeth Douglas, Director General, Innovation, Strategic Oversight and Communications - elizabeth.douglas@veterans.gc.ca

Innovation Communities in the Government of Canada

Multilateral Innovation Hubs

Academia

Canadian

International

Municipalities

Policy Think Tanks, Research Centers, and Consultancy Innovation Hubs

Accelerators & Commercialization Labs

National Government Innovation Hubs

Australia

Denmark

Finland

South Africa

Spain

Sweden

United Kingdom

United States


Civil Society Labs

Resources


Common Hashtags