This June, the Sudbury-based Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) will announce up to $16 million in funding for innovators working on projects designed to improve efficiency in mining.
Led by the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation, MICA was launched in 2021 as a pan-Canadian network of mining companies, industrial suppliers, academic organizations and researchers, and industrial innovators — all working to modernize the mining industry.
Leveraging $40 million from the federal government’s Strategic Innovation Fund, MICA vets and selects late-stage, high-impact projects that are poised to dramatically change the industry.
MICA’s four areas of concentration include improved productivity, better environmental performance, a strengthened Canadian mineral supply chain, and increased domestic and export sales of Canadian innovators.
The first round of funding was awarded last November. Sixteen projects received $11.5 million in funding. A full list of recipients is available here.
This time around, MICA said, more than 80 projects were submitted for consideration. The organization expects to award funding to 20 of them.
The announcement will take place on June 22 during a Toronto event themed MICA: Celebrating Innovators – Bridging the Mining Innovation Gap.
In addition to the funding announcement, the event will feature guest speakers and panellists discussing the use of artificial intelligence, addressing challenges associated with the emerging low-carbon economy, and building successful collaborative environments.
Registration information is available here.
