The Access Richmond Hill Contact Centre provides assistance for general inquiries, responds to questions or concerns regarding programs and services as well as accepts in person payments.
The City of Richmond Hill has partnered with OCAD University to launch the Centre for Local Innovation and Collaboration (CLIC)! Funded by eCampus Ontario and Centennial College, this unique, design-driven centre for innovation is part of a broad-based approach to accelerating business growth and innovation. CLIC exists to explore opportunities for local businesses to gain access to applied research and to leverage human-centred design expertise.
CLIC Program
As a shared, co-creative undertaking, CLIC allows for multiple stakeholders — businesses, the municipality, researchers, and government — to work together to identify key areas of need and to optimize opportunities of project development.
This offering brings in expertise from Richmond Hill’s Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) and OCAD University to help businesses review their offerings and business models through a design-thinking lens. Businesses will work together with OCAD University researchers to uncover market insights and develop new product/service opportunities. CLIC can then help businesses bring these new market insights into fruition by connecting them with local R&D opportunities available through government funding partners. CLIC looks to foster local innovation and the generation of new products, services, and partnerships.
CLIC is growth in progress, and a unique offering within the larger innovation ecosystem for businesses that seek to harness the power of creativity and applied design research to expand their business operations. Businesses that are interested in collaborating with CLIC can apply for the ‘Human Centred Design’ program.
How to Apply
Eligibility
18 years of age or older
A Canadian citizen or permanent resident
An Ontario registered business
Under 500 employees
Over 50% of staff located in Ontario
Prepared to work with OCAD researchers
Prepared to complete a mandatory Business Training Program
Intention to leverage creative technology, human-centered design, and applied research to create products/services that improve the lives of Ontario residents
Any business sector
New this Year! Special focus for businesses in the Medtech sector
Expression of Interest
Our current cohort intake is now closed. To be considered for the next cohort, please submit the Expression of Interest form below.
Cloud Constable deliver trusted, affordable AI technology to send and welcome venue visitors, supporting natural interactions and delivering engaging digital content effortlessly. Their AVA virtual assistant stands out with her friendly, animated digital personality and uses CV to detect, smile at human subjects and make virtual eye contact while conversing. The venues can host their own digital content and provide venue-specific knowledge to best serve their visitors.
In early 2024 Cloud Constable collaborated with Intel Liftoff to accelerate the business' innovation even further to scale its solutions and improve consumer satisfaction, focusing on healthcare field.
Through CLIC, Cloud Constable was able to participate in the 2024 Collision Conference's Start-Up Island to expose his AVA assistant to tech and innovation global community and reach a large pool of venture capitalists.
Edgecom Energy reduces energy costs and emissions for large energy users by helping decision makers understand, improve, and control how they consume energy, natural gas, and water. This is achieved through holistic technological solutions and their team's uncompromising focus on customer success. Edgecom’s products lean on their in-house expertise in data science, machine learning and AI systems combined with scalable, cost-effective, plug-and-play IoT metering solutions. Their solutions were designed from the ground up to overcome energy management’s most significant barriers to entry: long, complex installations and high costs, enabling facilities of all sizes to benefit from effective energy management.
The company came to CLIC with the focus on the new product development, researching new markets, and modifying their existing products for those markets.
In the fall of 2023, Edgecom Energy introduced Energy CoPilot, an AI-powered energy management assistant, and in early 2024, the company received the CIX Top 20 Early Award of Canada's most innovative companies. In addition, Edgecom Energy won a $30,000 collaboration project with ABB to bring new solutions to the market.
Gibbly
KnowQuest is an advanced online feedback platform designed to help businesses better to listen and understand consumers, as it allows reviewers better express their experiences. The idea was born out of the need to rate students' textbooks and resources (such as journal articles, etc.) before purchasing them. Bookstores and associations want to know which resources and textbooks are best choice for each course; and schools want to ensure that their professors have a database of textbooks and resources to choose from.
KnowQuest came to CLIC with ask to help make their platform easier to work with, as they want to implement their own API. The improvements to web development are imperative with new feature rollout as well as improvements in UI/UX and back end.
KROP Farming Technologies is a designer and manufacturer of advanced vertical farming systems utilizing the power of aeroponics. Their technology and critical partnerships aim to make KROP farms sustainable and off-grid through efficient farming structures and strategies. These farms are equipped with robust automated systems that deploy AI and ML to ensure plant quality, health, and security, while utilizing less water than competitors and using zero fertilizers and pesticides. KROP currently grows a wide variety of premium microgreens and sells directly to restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area.
MetaWorldX's Digital Twins monitor and optimize complex physical systems without the need for physical intervention. They are virtual replicas of physical objects, systems, or processes. They use data from sensors, IoT devices, and other sources to simulate the behavior of the physical object in real-time. Additionally, Digital Twins can be used to optimize designs and improve product performance before they are built, reducing the time and cost of product development.
Thanks to CLIC, MetaWorldX had a chance to participate in the 2024 Collision Conference Start-Up Island to highlight their product to tech and innovation global community and reach a large pool of venture capitalists. In summer 2024, the company launched a Digital Twin for The Town of Aurora.
ProtonFuels
Storeo
Technologies AIM Colours
Visiontif
White Tuque
2022
Charmy Pet released a KickStarter Campaign called 'Where East Meets West’ to launch their new line of frozen pet foods
The company collaborated with Guelph University on a research project to assess the health benefits of including traditional Chinese herbs within their pet food products
The co-founders of Charmy Pet appeared on Dragon’s Den in 2022
They expanded to over 800 store locations and launched in the US market as well
Partnered with Paragolf Canada to launch Curio Golf – a new piece of adaptive golf equipment created by Cheelcare. Curio Golf delivers unprecedented freedom and positioning to adaptive golfers looking to get out on the course and improve their game.
Collaborated with Loyalist College to work on a research project for product development
Dear Snackers optimized their eCommerce website and scaled their marketing under the CLIC suppervision, which led to a five-times increase in online sales
The company expanded to over 60 in-store locations
The founder appeared on Dragons Den and received a deal offer from four out of five 'Dragons'. The company entered into a $100,000 deal with two of the 'Dragons' (Manjit Minhas and Michele Romanow).
HearBliss received a CLIC grant to help develop a new earplug that will filter specific frequencies that impact misophonia sufferers the most
The company hired freelance experts to help in product design, analysis of the sounds, and acoustics. It is expected that the prototype of a new earplug will be developed by the second quarter of 2023.
KnowMeQ participation in the CLIC program helped the company to participate in the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program (via Employment and Social Development Canada) as a Lead Partner
Through CLIC, the company made the connections with OCAD University, Northern College, and NGen Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster and ended up being the NGen Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster lead for $2.3M in funding over 19 months
The CLIC grant helped KnowMeQ to complete the Recommender Tool with testing and validation
During the CLIC graduation networking event, KnowMeQ started collaboration with another CLIC participant Sequence21 Studios
The company hired 5 new staff in September 2022
Nerpy's collaboration with the CLIC team help them with their marketing insights
As a result, CLIC inspired Nerpy's to develop additional products based on the needs of the market
The company is in discussion with Sobeys to add Nerpy’s products onto their shelves
One Smart World secured a micro-credential deal with the Manitoba Institute of Technology and Trades for their Smarter Meetings online course. This will be piloted with three of their sector councils including aerospace, the CME, and tourism & travel. Through a regionally based, Ontario government funded organization, One Smart World secured contracts to produce two programs based on their platform - one on employment readiness for women returning to work, and one on improving innovation in business by training teams how to accelerate collaborative problem solving and reduce cycle time using our system.
The work with CLIC rekindled a partnership the company has with Devant and Academica Group to bring their solutions into post-secondary education - most recently with their recent contract with Fanshawe College
PharmaGuide
After graduating from the CLIC program, PharmaGuide went on to fund a research and development project in collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada to enable pharmacies to predict their near-term inventory needs thereby decreasing costs and reducing waste
The company is currently in the late stages of releasing the Smart Ordering Module which will leverage the machine learning model created as a result of this project. This feature should have a significant impact on revenue to PharmaGuide in the future.
An increase in revenue projected to be $15 million over the next 5 years
As the scope of the project grows, more staff will be hired
PharmaGuide was accepted into a Google Cloud Canada’s accelerator program
2023 UPDATE: PharmaGuide won the investment through Pfizer's Healthcare Hub initiative. The investment will help the company to scale up their services, as well as hire more people to help accelerate their innovative solutions. PharmaGuide is one of the three companies that collectively received $1.4 million investment from Pfizer Canada.
Sequence21 Studios expanded upon their initial TakeONE service and has plans to launch a studio
Increased revenue by around $7,000 by working with the City of Richmond Hill
Collaborated with CLIC to create a summary video that was presented at Collision 2022 and the video is currently featured on the CLIC website
Inspired by the insights communicated through the CLIC team, Simple Movement begun the process of designing a marketplace for prospective eLearning clients and companies
With the marketplace proposal, the company is expected to hire additional two team members (contract-based) to help execute the project
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.
PharmaGuide
