OCE supports six regional sites for C/AV

Six regional technology development sites (RTDSs) across Ontario will receive financial support from the Ontario government as part of the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN) project, which seeks to position the province as a leader in transformative automotive technologies, transportation systems and related supporting infrastructure. Earlier this month, the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), which provides the funds on behalf of the Ontario government, identified the six RTDs with each one being funded for up to $5 million for five years from the total AVIN funding of $80 million. Each RTD has a unique focus area around connected and autonomous vehicles (C/AV) and is composed of partners from industry, academia and government. RTDSs are expected to accelerate the development of innovations in C/AV technologies, talent and capacity. These sites are seen to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop, prototype, test and validate new technologies, access specialized equipment, and obtain technical and business advice. The RTDSs and their specializations are: Durham, for human machine interface (HMI) and user experience; Hamilton, for multimodal and integrated mobility; Ottawa, for vehicular networks and communications; Southwestern Ontario including London and Windsor, for vehicle cybersecurity and cross-border technologies; Toronto, for artificial intelligence (AI); and Waterloo for high-definition mapping and localization.