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German Solar Corporation chooses London for Solar Array assembly plant

On January 20, 2010, German Solar Corporation announced plans to locate a Branch office, assembly and distribution facility in London, Ontario to promote the development of Solar Arrays in Ontario. Their announcement represents a substantial initial capital investment, with employment expected to exceed 20 associates when fully operational early this year. Click here for full story.

NDS Americas opens new office in downtown London

NDS Americas, a leading digital technology firm based in California, in partnership with Harper Collins Canada, is investing in engineering resources and has chosen London for its new office in North America. Part of the NDS Group of the United Kingdom, and within the News Corporation family, NDS is the world leader in Pay TV technology with more than 70 leading Pay-TV operators worldwide relying on proven NDS solutions. As the business gets underway, it will begin by providing 30 high tech jobs. For more information about NDS Americas, click here.

London Gets Economic Boost: McGuinty Government Helps City Revamp Local Manufacturing Sector

Ontario is helping London to position its manufacturing industry as a destination for European manufacturing, and create jobs.

The province is investing $497,000 in the London Economic Development Corporation for three initiatives to help secure direct European investment in the region’s manufacturing sector. The funding will be used to:

• The initiation of a pilot project to reduce the cost of adapting European manufacturing technology to Canadian electrical standards.
• Partner with a German-based auto parts manufacturer in London, to ensure a new high-tech precision laser cutter being installed at the London facility meets CSA approved standards
• Help local parts suppliers capitalize on opportunities to supply European auto manufacturers in North America.

Further details can be found here

Phil Hunt joins LEDC as new Director, Workforce Development

We are very pleased to welcome Phil Hunt to the LEDC. Phil brings extensive experience from his years at the Richard Ivey School of Business as Executive Director, MBA and Career Management and 16 years with Xerox, where he gained significant general management experience through senior positions in sales, operations, finance and human resources. He was also Chief Operating Officer for Datahorse Group of Companies in Markham ON, and Vice President, Operations for EADS North America, in Dallas TX.

Click here to link to his full profile

We wish Jeny Wallace much success at ID Labs™ Biotechnology.

Wind–Water–Sun–Renewable Technologies Conference
March 2nd, London Convention Centre

As a follow up to the 2009 Economic Summit, the LEDC is pleased to be hosting the inaugural Wind, Water and Sun conference in partnership with London Hyro and Miller Thomson to advance discussions regarding London’s Renewable Technology opportunities. This day long event will include presentations from Government, London Hydro, and details of leading edge research at Western and Fanshawe. The afternoon will include Solar, Wind and Water panels with industry experts. For agenda details, and to register, Click Here

Western Research contributes to growth of local economy

London’s economy is benefiting from the wealth of knowledge located in its educational and research institutes, including Western, Fanshawe, Robarts, Lawson and the NRC. Each of these institutions continues to explore new ways to reach out to industry, through licensing, research collaborations and the creation of new start ups. In this month’s issue of London Matters, we’ll update you on Western’s activities.

In 2008/2009, Western received $175 million in research funding. When combined with Lawson and Robarts, this totalled $226 million, putting it in the top 10 for national funding. Their signature areas include Environmental Sustainability and Green Energy; Materials and Biomaterials; and Wind Engineering and Natural Disaster Mitigation.

Leading edge research is underway in areas that are top of mind in today’s economy. Leo Lau and Zhifeng Ding are developing new solar cell materials. Amarjett Bassi is creating biodiesel from algae. Jason Gerhard is eliminating PCBs underground.

To learn more about Western’s research activities, click here to see a recent presentation. Also, visit www.uwo.ca/research to see how Western can help your business improve your products and services.

New NSERC Programs Help Build Industry Ties with University Research

As part of the new Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation, NSERC has introduced two new programs and modified existing programs to make it easier for industry and universities to establish productive research partnerships. The Engage Grants Program will support the creation of a new university-industry partnership to undertake a fully funded, short-term research project that addresses a company-specific problem. It awards up to $25,000 over a maximum of six months to cover direct project costs. The Interaction Grants program will help establish new contacts between companies and NSERC-eligible researchers to identify a company-specific problem that could be solved through a subsequent R&D partnership. Up to $5,000 over three months covers such expenses as travel and meetings needed to set up the partnership. Click here.

LOAF feeding the growth of London’s Food Processing Industry

The annual LOAF conference held on January 14th attracted local Food and Beverage processors, primary producers, agri-food equipment suppliers, research institutes, industry association and government reps, and service providers to the London Convention Centre. The industry presentations were extremely informative regarding trends and opportunities. David Sparling, the Ivey Chair in Agri-food Innnovation and Regulation provided great insights on agri-food policy, innovation and commercialization, value chains and traceability. Copies of the presentations are available for your review on the LEDC website. Click here.

If you are an IT company, it pays to hire a new grad

Information and Communication Technology Council offers eligible IT companies with a subsidy equal to one-third the eligible participant’s salary, to a maximum of $10,000 over a one year work term. This offers employers the benefit of gaining employees with cutting-edge skills, and gives participants valuable experience within a work environment. Frequently, companies will retain grads as full-time employees upon completion of the work term. For more information, click here.

Are you looking for fresh ideas in your business AND a tax credit? Consider a co-op student or intern

We know as a community one of our key goals is to find ways to keep graduating students in the city. One of the key methods to experience what this talent can offer your business is to have them work in your organizations through a co-op or internship program. Allow these students to gain the experience many of you require from your new hires.

There are many co-op and internship programs available through Western and Fanshawe in a variety of programs including Engineering, Science, Social Science, Economics, Information and Media Studies, Technology, Business, Hospitality and Design. Click here.

New Western Co-Op Program
There’s more to Sustainability than recycling, but what else can you do to make your business less harmful to the environment? The University of Western Ontario and the Centre for Environment & Sustainability would like to highlight one of their newest summer co-op programs that might be able to help you. Click here for full details

Canada extends assistance for manufacturing and processing sector

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has extended the 50-percent straight-line accelerated capital cost allowance (CCA) rate for investments in manufacturing or processing machinery and equipment in 2010 and 2011, as set out in Canada’s Economic Action Plan.

“This measure will help businesses in the manufacturing and processing sector to restructure and retool,” Flaherty said. “In so doing, it will help them to better meet current economic challenges, boost productivity and position themselves for long-term success.”

Canadian manufacturers and processors are already benefiting from the temporary 50-percent straight-line accelerated CCA rate measures announced in the 2007 and 2008 budgets. Businesses making eligible investments in 2010 and 2011 in manufacturing or processing machinery and equipment will benefit from the two-year extension of this accelerated CCA rate.

The two-year extension of the CCA rate is expected to provide $320 million in tax relief to Canadian businesses in 2011 to '12, and $990 million in total over the period 2011 to '12 to 2013 to '14. Click Here

Canadian Government Announces $75 Million for $300 Million Late-Stage Venture Capital Fund

Recently, the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, annouced that the government would provide the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) with $75 million in support of a new $300 million growth capital fund. The Tandum Expansion Fund will support the growth and expansion of tech companies by helping them penetrate new markets, expand production capacoty and provide additional working capital. Click here.