OTTAWA – The fifth annual Canadian Innovation Week is taking place May 16-20, 2022. Created by the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) in 2018, Canadian Innovation Week is a 5-day celebration recognizing and supporting ingenuity across all sectors.

Canadian Innovation Week focuses on how we make our communities and our world a better place and inspire the next generation of innovators. Organizations and individuals from coast to coast to coast come together digitally to share stories of inspiring Canadian innovators and innovations that are changing the world one idea at a time using #CIW22.

Innovation is about doing something better to make an impact. This year, the RHF is inviting people and organizations to answer the question “How do you innovate?” and providing five themes to start the digital conversation.

  • Innovate To Engage: Celebrating innovations that are community driven, prioritize inclusion, and drive action.
  • Innovate To Inspire: Showcasing inspiring young innovators who are changing the world one idea at a time.
  • Innovate To Learn: Highlighting innovation in the classroom and sharing resources for students and teachers.
  • Innovate To Excel: Celebrating Canada’s highest honour in innovation, the Governor General’s Innovation Awards, and innovations that have a positive impact on our lives.
  • Innovate To Compete: Showcasing Canada’s expanding innovation ecosystem and innovators that are competing on a global scale!

Explore these themes on social media and through the RHF’s signature events:

 

Innovate To Inspire – Ingenious+ National Awards Ceremony 

Tuesday, May 17 at 12:00 PM ET

Ingenious+ gives youth in Canada aged 14 to 18 the opportunity to innovate for good, and to share strategies for making our world Healthier, Smarter, Kinder and win up to $10,000.

Join the Rideau Hall Foundation, JA Canada, Yukon University and Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants in finding out which young innovators will be taking home the top prizes in the inaugural year of Ingenious+. The ceremony will also feature a Q&A with 2022 Governor General’s Innovation Awards laureate Martin Basiri, Co-Founder & CEO of ApplyBoard.

Find out more about the event here: https://www.exploringbytheseat.com/awards/

 

Innovate To Engage – Grantmaker Conversation: How to fund tech needs of community organizations.

Tuesday, May 17 at 2:00 PM ET

Join us as we explore how funders might respond innovatively and with boldness to the digital inclusion needs of our partners across the non-profit space. This discussion will focus on what the funder community is learning and doing in response to the kinds of technology capacity and funding requests we are receiving.

Find out more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/327489719567

 

Innovate To Compete – NFTs: The 21st century gold rush

Tuesday, May 17 at 2:00 PM ET

Hosted by the University of Calgary: Let’s talk about non-fungible tokens, the latest application of the blockchain to go mainstream. In 2021, the global market for NFTs spiked, quickly reaching US$41 billion and becoming a huge success for many artists, musicians and creators who have jumped on board. In this webinar, guests will explain what NFTs are, explore why they have taken off, the value they hold, and potential policy and regulation that might be necessary to protect the intellectual property of creators.

Find out more and register here: https://ucalgary.ca/community/nfts-21st-century-gold-rush

 

Innovate To Excel – 2022 Governor General’s Virtual Innovation Awards

Thursday May 19 at 3pm ET

Join the Rideau Hall Foundation and Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director of the DMZ and the CEO of DMZ Ventures, in celebrating the six amazing recipients of the seventh annual Governor General’s Innovation Awards (GGIA). These awards recognize and celebrate exceptional and transformational Canadian innovations, which create a positive impact in Canada and inspire the next generation of innovators.

Find out more and register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/328290354287

 

Join us in celebrating Canadian innovators and innovations that are changing the world one idea at a time. #CIW22

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About the Rideau Hall Foundation

The Rideau Hall Foundation is an independent and non-political charitable organization established to mobilize ideas, people, and resources across the country to tap into our national spirit and help realize our shared aspirations. The RHF works closely with many partners, including the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General, to connect, honour, and inspire Canadians across four key programmatic areas, including:

  1. Learning initiatives that strive for excellence and promote equality of opportunity;
  2. Strengthening Canada’s culture of innovation;
  3. Widening the circle of giving and volunteering; and
  4. Building and celebrating excellence in Canadian leadership, and increasing public awareness about and commitment to Canada’s multi-faceted democracy.

Learn more about the RHF at www.rhf-frh.ca and follow us on Twitter @RideauHallFdn.