North Bay's City Tech Lab offers qualified projects access to City assets and infrastructure for companies, researchers, and individuals to test their products and ideas in a real-life environment. The ultimate goal is to enable innovators to validate their product or service designs, ensuring their practicality and usefulness for the daily lives of global users.
North Bay’s City Tech Lab
North Bay's City Tech Lab provides qualified projects with opportunity to access municipal infrastructure for the purposes of testing and validating precommercial technology. We facilitate innovation by providing approved companies and researchers access to municipal data, facilities, fleet, and utilities in order to test and refine their products. We strive to empower entrepreneurs to bring their innovative ideas to life, commercialize new products and technology and establish operations in North Bay.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary purpose of North Bay's City Tech Lab program?
Who can benefit from the City Tech Lab program?
This program is open to any company, researcher, or individual interested in utilizing North Bay's City Tech Lab assets and infrastructure for testing their products or services in a real-world setting. Please note that this program is primarily intended for research and commercialization purposes and a detailed application and City approval process is required to participate in the program.
What types of assets and infrastructure are available through North Bay's City Tech Lab?
North Bay's City Tech Lab provides access to various assets and infrastructure within the city, including but not limited to data, facilities, fleet, utilities, and roadways roadways. If you have specific requests, contact us at invest@investinnorthbay.ca.
Why is North Bay's City Tech Lab essential for innovation and development?
Innovative products, services, and ideas need to be tested and validated in an environment closely resembling their intended real-world use. With its assets and infrastructure, North Bay's City Tech Lab aims to work with and attract early stage technology companies.
Yes, North Bay's City Tech Lab is available for testing new concepts, improving existing ideas, or conducting research. If you are unsure about whether North Bay's City Tech Lab can support your testing needs, email us at invest@investinnorthbay.ca.
Is it necessary for my company to be based in North Bay to access North Bay's City Tech Lab?
No, North Bay's City Tech Lab extends its offerings to companies, researchers, and individuals from around the world. The unique features of North Bay, such as its geographic location, waterways and four-season climate, can provide ideal conditions for innovators to test their concepts.
North Bay's City Tech Lab is not a procurement platform, and piloting through the Lab does not guarantee future work with the City. All future procurement of services is managed through North Bay's procurement process.
Refer City Purchasing information for more details on how to do business with the City of North Bay.
What is the initial step to initiate a City Tech Lab project using City Infrastructure in North Bay?
If you are interested in accessing City infrastructure for testing or piloting an idea, complete the City Tech Lab Intake Form and send it to us at invest@investinnorthbay.ca. Once we receive the intake form, our team will review it and reach out to discuss the next steps.
How long does it typically take to conduct testing through North Bay's City Tech Lab program?
The timing for each request varies, depending on a number of factors. Upon receiving the intake form, our team will review it and then contact you within the week to discuss the process further.
Can North Bay's City Tech Lab offer funding for my pilot project?
No, the City Tech Lab program is not a funding program. Business owners and researchers are responsible for covering the costs of their pilot projects, while North Bay's City Tech Lab provides access to City assets for testing purposes.