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 (under construction)**
Department	Name of Hub/Lab/Team	Contact(s)	Availability for MicroMissions (Yes /No )
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
Développement économique Canada	Incubateur d'innovation	diego.dube@canada.ca
Environment and Climate Change Canada	Innovation and Youth Engagement Division	Sunny Uppal; sunny.uppal@canada.ca Chari Marple; chari.marple@canada.ca Shanu Bhandari; shanu.bhandari@canada.ca	Potential opportunities may arise in the future

Natural Resources Canada	OEE Social Innovation Unlab	frank.gale@canada.ca


Treasury Board Secretariat	Canadian Digital Service	https://digital.canada.ca/ cds-snc@tbs-sct.gc.ca https://twitter.com/CDS_GC