Government Bodies and Infrastructure

As Canada’s Capital, the Ottawa-Gatineau Region is the seat of the federal government, and home to a critical mass of municipal, provincial and federal government teams, programs and departments; regulatory bodies; federally-funded science, technology and research labs, centres and infrastructure; and policy makers, influencers and decision-makers.

Recently, the federal government has unveiled a plan to bolster Canada’s defences against nefarious online attacks and crime. The strategy will bring together the cybersecurity programs and capabilities across different federal departments, and put them to work as an integrated suite through the new Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity. This centre will open in the fall of 2018 at the Communications Security Establishment (CSE). Administered under the Department of National Defence (DND), CSE is responsible for foreign signals intelligence (SIGINT) and protecting Canadian government electronic information and communication networks.

Other government departments and bodies that play a critical role in enhancing cybersecurity and the online security of Canadians include: Public Safety; Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS); Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) and the RCMP – just to name a few.

Business Advantages

Ottawa offers a robust technology ecosystem with low overall living costs. Companies pay less for engineers, designers, and computer scientists than their U.S. counterparts thanks to a low Canadian dollar and a single digit attrition rate.

Investors

Leading in Canadian Cybersecurity investment capital, Kyvr Fund is focused on growing and supporting Canadian cybersecurity-based companies.

Contact Kyvr for more details on investment opportunities.

The Capital Angel Network is a group of angel investors in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. These investors aim to build the region’s entrepreneurial community; make the region the best place to start a business; and facilitate access to investment opportunities for qualified investors.

Women in Cyber

Together with Willis Cyber Academy and Willis College, doors need to open for the thousands of women from across Canada who aspire to a rewarding career in the cyber and IT sectors.

Willis College announces the first recipient of the Women in Technology Scholarship: Sarah Boyer. Sincere congratulations on this prestigious award!

Research & Development

In addition to the many companies performing cyber R&D, our region is anchored by 65 Federal research labs; , Canada’s research and innovation network, and Centres of Excellence such as the Centre of Excellence in Next-Generation Networks (CENGN) that contribute specialized R&D expertise to our Ottawa-Gatineau cyber cluster.

It is also home to the Kanata North Tech Park, the largest of its kind in Canada, and many leading R&D intensive security and defence multinational companies.

Ottawa-Gatineau also anchors Canada’s three federal granting councils, fueling the development of new tech research talent for companies and post-secondary institutions. These include the: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC); the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR); and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC); and the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).

Cyber Success Stories

Crypto4A

Crypto4A is an Ottawa-Gatineau developing quantum-ready cybersecurity solutions that significantly improve protection for Cloud, loT, Blockchain, V2X, government and military application deployments in today’s challenging and ever-changing environments. The company has benefitted significantly from programs, services and support from Invest Ottawa, Bayview Yards, the City of Gatineau, Cilex, Carleton University and a host of other organizations on both sides of the river.

A combination of funding programs will provide cybersecurity firm Crypto4A Technologies repayable grants from the federal government and financial assistance from the government of Quebec. The financing is helping the company take the firm’s product to international markets. (Ottawa Business Journal)

Talent

The Ottawa-Gatineau Region is home to world-class, post-secondary institutions that produce top tech talent, including the cyber experts of the future. These include: Algonquin College, Carleton University, La Cité collégiale, Université du Québec en Outaouais, University of Ottawa, and Saint Paul University, Willis College.

With more than 130,000 students, the highest concentration of tech talent in North America, our region is building the next-generation of cyber talent.