Digital Integration Centre of Excellence bolsters prairie technology sector

Image credit: Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Image credit: Saskatchewan Polytechnic

Saskatchewan’s first Technology Access Centre (TAC) is projected to exceed revenue goals within two years of launching 

December 13, 2021 – Saskatchewan Polytechnic announced today that its Digital Integration Centre of Excellence (DICE) is projected to surpass its five-year revenue goal in its second year of operation.

The milestone is yet another sign of the growing importance of Saskatchewan’s tech sector. Since its launch in the spring of 2020, DICE’s revenues have grown from $1.6M and are projected to reach $2.4M by year end—well ahead of the 2025 goal of $1.98M. At the same time, the DICE team has grown from 12 to 23 employees working with 18 companies on 24 projects across Canada.

“DICE is a key piece of the innovation puzzle in Saskatchewan and Canada, providing applied research capabilities for companies of all sizes. It is an excellent investment of taxpayer dollars that is already paying dividends in employment, intellectual property, and increased GDP,” says Dr. Aaron Genest, SaskTech president and DICE board chair. “DICE is a world-class organization that helps businesses from all sectors improve their digital processes and access new technologies. It’s game changing.”

DICE is Saskatchewan’s first Technology Access Centre (TAC) funded by NSERC and Innovation Saskatchewan, federal and provincial agencies. Through this funding, along with investment from industry partners, DICE supports large mining and manufacturing businesses, to small entrepreneurial tech start-ups, and small and medium-sized enterprises.

“Momentum in innovative data-driven applied research continues in Saskatchewan,” Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan Jeremy Harrison says. “These important networks of knowledge dissemination and transfer support a range of industries that are at critical junctures in their development, while fostering digital innovation in our province.”

“NSERC is pleased to support Technology Access Centres that provide innovative solutions for local and regional partner challenges through the expertise of Canadian polytechnics and colleges. Congratulations to the Digital Integration Centre of Excellence, which is on track to surpass its five-year revenue goal in its second year of operation. DICE has quickly become a key innovation driver; working with companies of all sizes to find new ways of gaining insights from the data they produce, while also keeping it secure,” says Alejandro Adem, president, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

DICE operates under Sask Polytech’s Office of Applied Research and Innovation and is staffed with highly qualified specialists and technologists experienced in providing digital solutions focused on data. This includes asset management and monitoring; cybersecurity; internet of things; time-sensitive networking and mesh communications and control.

“I’m excited for the DICE team and our continued, exponential growth,” says Dr. Terry Peckham, Sask Polytech DICE TAC director. “DICE is helping create a symbiotic technology ecosystem in Saskatchewan. I see lots of different industries, including mining and agriculture, adopting new technology. I also see exciting collaborations taking place between post-secondary and private companies. The Saskatchewan technology industry looks bright.”

“Through the work of DICE, Saskatchewan Polytechnic is supporting the provincial mandate to triple the Saskatchewan technology sector by 2030,” says Dr. Larry Rosia, Sask Polytech president and CEO. “DICE is creating new technology jobs, supporting tech start-ups, working with small and medium-sized enterprises, and improving economic development outcomes across the province.”

DICE provides innovative solutions for solving data and digital challenges for business, industry and non-profits. By partnering with DICE, organizations have access to outstanding computational facilities, faculty expertise, and talented student researchers, along with research and development funding and a vast network of connections. The DICE team of specialists and technologists are all experienced in providing digital solutions focused on data across a spectrum of industries.

To learn more visit saskpolytech.ca/dice.

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