OCRI Company of the Year

Sponsored by: Sprott School of Business

This award recognizes an organization that has demonstrated excellence in innovation and a commitment to the knowledge-based sector in Ottawa while increasing profitability, community involvement and embracing sound business fundamentals. A minimum of three years in operation is required for judges to investigate positive growth and a proven track record. A confidential online process will be used to validate key performance data.

Past winners: DragonWave/SiGe/Bridgewater Systems

Next Generation Executive of the Year

Sponsored by: Telfer School of Management

This award recognizes an individual who has had a significant impact on the success and/or transformation of their organization as a direct result of their leadership. For this award, executives are considered those that hold typically senior titles such as CEO, CFO, COO, President or Vice-President who represent the next generation’s business leader. Nominees must have held the position for less than five years.

Past winners: Jason Flick (You I Labs)/Rob Woodbridge (Rove Inc.)/John Roese (Nortel Networks)

Strategic Partnership

Sponsored by: Centre for Commercialization and Research (Ontario Centres of Excellence)

This award recognizes a collaborative and strategic initiative between two or more partners working to achieve success. It must be apparent that the resulting success would not have been possible without aligning as partners. One member of the partnership must be an Ottawa-based knowledge based industry company.

Past Winners: QNX and Alcatel-Lucent

Most Promising Start-up

Sponsored by: The Regional Innovation Centre

This award is presented to an Ottawa-based organization that has the greatest potential to demonstrate excellence in innovation and a commitment to the knowledge-based sector while increasing profitability, community involvement and embracing sound business fundamentals. This category is reserved for operations that have been established for less than three years.

Past winners: Telepin/Embotics/Menova Energy Inc.

Product of the Year

Sponsored by: bitHeads

This award recognizes an organization that has achieved success in the commercialization of an innovative technology product.

Past winners: Neptec/Pika/Ross Video Limited

NEW THIS YEAR Solution of the Year Award

Sponsored by: Cistel

This award is open to all sectors within Ottawa’s knowledge-based industry and acknowledges an organization that has provided a service, application or solution that significantly enhances and/or improves the functionality, productivity, business process, operations, sales, marketing, supply chain management, customer service, communications, competitiveness or business relationship for its customers/clients. Solution providers are encouraged to co-apply with a client/customer who can demonstrate substantial improvements in any of the areas outlined above which can be attributed to the solution provided by the nominee organization.

Research Award

Sponsored by:

This award will be presented to an individual or team that has made significant contributions or discoveries in any of Ottawa’s knowledge-based sectors. Consideration will focus on the level of impact that has been made by the research or in the discovery’s potential for commercial impact. The recipient will have an excellent research record supported by papers in refereed journals, patents and other relevant publications and received national and or international recognition for this research from their peers. It is important that a significant portion of the research was performed in the Ottawa region.

Past Winners: Dr. Robert Korneluk, Dr. Duncan Stewart

Health Innovation Award

Sponsored by:

This award recognizes individuals or teams in the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario region that are approaching health care in an innovative manner. Nominees should be health care individuals (physicians, nurses, or other health care professionals) or teams whose ideas, improvements, invention or actions have resulted in a significant improvement in health care or in the health care system. The impact on patient care or on the health care system must be clearly stated and may include: improvements in patient care, improved health outcomes, decreased cost to the system, medical devices, improved patient records management, etc.

Past Winners: Dr. Pierre Cardinal, CRI Critical Care Education

OCRI Futures Award: Student Researcher of the Year

Sponsored by:

This award recognizes the accomplishments of students from the region’s post-secondary institutions. Research and innovation achievements should reflect OCRI’s focus on leading-edge science and technology.

Past winners: Razib Iqbal, University of Ottawa /Dewan Tanvir Ahmed, University of Ottawa/Atif Shamim and Muhammad Arsalan, Carleton University/David Nadeau, University of Ottawa

OCRI Futures Award: Student Entrepreneur

Sponsored by:

This award will be presented to a young, strategic innovator whose compelling approach to an entrepreneurial endeavor has drawn support from the business, financial, and/or research community enabling the project to be successfully launched. The student must have attended or graduated from a post-secondary institution within 12 months of submitting the nomination.

Past Winners: Muhammad Arsalan and Atif Shamim

OCRI Futures Award: High School Innovation

Sponsored by: RIM

This award will be presented to an Ottawa-area High School (grades 9-12) in recognition of the school’s efforts to engage students in learning in an innovative and unique way. Schools are invited to prepare a short submission describing their initiative. The initiative must be unique and innovative, and fall within one of the following five categories: Technology – innovative use of technology to support student learning; Entrepreneurship – initiative to encourage development of entrepreneurial skills; Science and Math – initiative to instill interest in math and/or science; Community Outreach – a unique partnership with a post-secondary institution, business, or other organization; or Education Delivery – non-traditional and innovative approaches to teaching and learning in one or more of the following areas: information and communications technology, business, environment, health and wellness, manufacturing, arts and culture, or skilled trades.

Past Winners: John McCrae Secondary School – Web 2.0 Site